SpiderMan: Goblins, Kings and Pretty Things
by Dr Gonzo
Summary: Spider man early in his career Takes on the Kingpin and the Green Goblin, but its a certain young actress that could really cause problems *COMPLETED*
1. Default Chapter

**__**

Spider Man - Goblins, Kings, & Pretty Things 

B. H. Ramsay 

This is a partially my take on a possible movie scenario back when the movie was an urban legend at best. It also has some AU aspects that will become evident 

Marvel Entertainment Corp wholly owns all characters appearing here. 

__

Once upon a time, there was a young boy and a genetically enhanced spider. A gentle old man and the thief that took his life…but you probably already know this part of the story, so we will just cut ahead to the bit where things got interesting. 

New York is sometimes called the city that never sleeps. This is not entirely true it would be truer to say that New York is the city that never relaxes. Everyone always has somewhere to be and something to do. Take Old Man Severinson he owned a mom and pop electronics store in mid town in a block of buildings that either were gutted out tenements or depleted pawnbrokers. You came to this neighborhood if you wanted it fast ad cheap and you weren't too fussy about were it came from. The old man has better things to be doing then minding the store and so he was off doing them tonight. Which is why when the Kingpin's thugs showed up to shake him down Deckard and his boys found they were playing to an empty house. Deckard was not daunted though, like any professional he felt this would be a good opportunity. Deckard was in the protection rackets. Not that prestigious, but it had it good points. You got to know the neighbors and you got to see the city and the best part was if you had a good block of property to deal with, you had unlimited sources of cash. Deckard liked cash. He liked it a lot, which was why, on the night he showed up and found the old man's store was closed and bolted; he thought "what a great time to rob the place. He could come back in the morning and remind the old man that he should be paying on time so that things like this didn't happen." Deckard thought like this which if you asked his boys was why Kingpin had him doing no brained stuff like collections & protection as opposed to something he could hurt himself doing. 

Getting in was easy. It usually was in this part of town where putting a substandard lock was as good an invitation to rob it as leaving it in the open. Getting the stuff was simple as well. The four of hem scattered through the store and found a stereo, a VCR, DVD and a light TV (great picture and sound despite it's small size, normally retails at, but never mind back to the story) 

Getting out was more or less easy since in a technical sense they actually got outside the store. Things went to hell right after that. 

Bennett, Deckard's newbie choice for this assignment was the first to go. He was loaded down with the DVD. He headed down an ally way toward the van they had parked on the next block when he stepped in something sticky. No that unusual in this part of town but still distracting. The sticky mess on the bottom of his shoe prevented further movement. Rather then, bring this matter to his leader's attention and garner scorn. He decided to stop and get the stuff off, which is much the reason it was there in the first place. Bennett bent down dropped the DVD and pulled on the sticky stuff o the bottom of his shoe. He then gave up deciding to abandon the shoe. He straightened and found he was looking at a man hanging upside down from the shadows. The man was wearing a red mask. In fact he was wearing red every thing and a blue pullover with a hood in back, on the chest was stitched a black stylized spider. The man held up a finger in front of where his mouth would have been. He shushed Bennett. "Be very, very, Quiet I'm hunting scumbags." Bennett was astonished at this. He was even more astonished when a sticky string came out of the man's hands and blocked off his mouth. Then one of those hands formed into a fist and love tapped him on the chin knocking him out and preventing further astonishment. 

The man grabbed the falling body and lowered it gently to the ground. He ascended back into the shadows, chuckling softly. "One down; three to go."

Charlie was the stumblebum of the group. Grace was not his forte His large size and burly physique was what had gotten him on Deckard's team. He was carrying a Mini System. He was frustrated at not having a chance to bend the old man. He was picturing what it would have been like when his feet dragged out from underneath him. He fell to the alleyway ground…or he started to, but something arrested his progress and he was hauled ten feet into the air. As he was raising a hand clamped over his mouth. His last visions before unconsciousness were huge white eyes and a voice hissing "If you don't mind, could I check the receipt for that purchase sir?" 

Matt the bat was struggling with the weight of the light TV. He felt there was some unfairness in the world since he felt such grunt work should b given to Charlie. Matt the bat was professional as evidenced by his namesake slung to his side. Deckard was just up ahead and he was about to let loose with more bitching about the unfairness of the job distribution when Deckard stopped short and glanced around. Where are the rest of those bozos." He muttered 

"I don't know, maybe they went off to Vegas. "Who cares? Deckard I'm a danm professional over here I should not be carrying TV 's at nine in the danm night. 

Jesus Matt do you ever change the channel. You're like my old lady. When are you going t move up in the rackets, when are you gonna get a real job, Christ its enough to make a man want to go straight. 

"Yeah ain't it a bitch when people wont let you enjoy that gainful career criminal thing you have going." The new voice had a sneer attached and Decked look up to see a man standing in the mouth of the alleyway dressed in a Halloween getup. 

"Who are you supposed to be." he sneered "Bug Guy?" 

The man startled as though he had been punched. "Bug Guy, Bug Buy oh you are so getting your ass kicked tonight." 

"I don't think so. Matt knock him out of the park."

Matt stepped forward drawing his bat out of his belt as he did the man in red kept up a steady stream of banter all during Matt's attempt to hit him all of which he dodged. 

Hi Matt allow me to introduce myself I am the …(swipe) ever amazing…(swipe) super spectacular…(swipe, swipe) Friendly Neighborhood (swipe) Spider-man." The man reached out and grabbed the bat freezing it in mid swing. "Matt if I don't know better I would say you were trying to hit me with that baseball bat " he released that bat and stepped back. 

Matt already heaving from his exertions took a good hard swing at Spider-man's head. Spidey leapt up in the air about fifteen feet and gracefully inverted his body and returned to the earth landing lightly on one hand a few inches above the ground and underneath Matt's batting radius. Then thrusting out his arm he clenched his fist and a web-line shot out snagging a garbage can then with a smooth jerk he pulled it toward him. The can smacked into the back of Matt's head staggering him. Spidey swept his feet around in a circle causing Matt to cartwheel high into the air before landing senseless on the pavement. He sprang to his feet and surveyed his work. "Using a garbage can to take out a piece of trash, Bruce Valance, Where are you when I need you?"

Deckard turned and darted up the alleyway Spider-man took off in abound after tying up the, out cold, thug. He bounced from wall to wall to gain speed. Hitting a t-junction, he bounced off the walls and headed right toward the van that had been parked earlier. However, Deckard went left at the junction. "What the fu…Dexxy where are you going? Don't you want to play anymore." he stopped and cling to a wall then backtracked bouncing back and forth from wall to wall, gaining steadily on the fleeing Deckard. 

The thief skewed to the right as he dashed out of the alleyway and across the street. Spidey leapt to the top of a streetlight. He prepared to grab Deckard. Suddenly, Deckard collided with a fleeing woman. Spider-man smiled underneath his mask and throw out his arm to fire a web-line across the street. He swung down to the street. Deckard got off the ground and seeing Spider-man closing, he grabbed the fallen woman yanking her to her feet. He pulled a small '38 from is jacket and pointed it at the woman. "Ï don't know who you are freak but you'd better back off or she's gonna be…."

What the hell are you idiots doing on my set?" The voice cut across the confrontation. Bright lights flared to life. Film crew filled the street. The shrill voice belonged to the director. Spiderman looked around the area taking in the rolling cameras. He began to snicker "Bravo Decks, leave it to you to take a hostage in full view of movie cameras, I thought that too dumb to be a criminal stuff was BS, but man you are a shmoo. "

Shut up, just shut up or I'll kill you man. "The gun was held out in his shaking hand. Time telescoped outward and several things happened at once. Spider-man fired a web-line at the pistol and when it leached on, he tore the pistol from Deckard's grip with a flick of his wrist. 

At the same moment the girl, who was far from helpless, stomped on Deckard's foot. Deckard released the girl instinctively to cradle his damaged arches. In the next moment, he found himself two feet off the ground being held by the red clad super hero. 

"Have I mentioned how much I hate cowards who use guns to threaten innocent people." He punched the thug twice. Then he hurled the half-conscious body across the street into the lamppost. He fired a thick mass of webbing at the body so that it enfolded his carcass as it landed against the pole. 

Spider-man stood breathing heavily calming himself down. The woman stepped up to him.

"Hey are you alright." the girl laid a gentle hand on the hero's shoulder. He startled as though shocked at the contact, but recovered quickly. 

Of course, nice action with the foot stamping you wield a vicious sling back pump." The web slinger deadpanned. 

The girl blushed and smiled "You don't grow up in New York without learning a few things."

"I thought you might have the look of a native about you. Listen sweets, I have to swing, but when the cops get here could you make sure they get this, along with the love packages. I'll see you around Ms…" 

Watson…Mary Jane Watson 

The soap actress, No kidding, well …well…You play Raven Bludsoul on Secret Hospital, The bad girl with a scarlet past. 

He dropped a small card into her palm and then back flipped to the side of a building. He threw out his arm and a web line fired up into the shadows 

"I hope that Anastasia can forgive me for rescuing the woman who broke up her marriage to Blaine. See you around."

He swung out and away from the crowd. 

The director stared at this action aghast, then he turned to his cameraman. "Your answer to this next question will determine if you ever work in this business again. Tell me you got that on film." 

"Every second." 

"Yes!"

The girl ignored the proceedings she was entranced with the card in her palm and the writing scrawled across it. 

_"These felons foiled, courtesy of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man."_

A fan, a super hero rescued me from near death, he watches Secret Hospital, and he's a fan. "Oh Mr. Spider-man you will be seeing Mary Jane Watson again and sooner then you think …if I get my way. 

***

Almost an hour later a black sedan pulled up in the street and a yellow trench coated woman poured herself from the car like old coffee left too long on the burner. She looked around at the busy activity surrounding her and, concluding that no one was going to mind, struck a match and lit a cigarette that she immediately screwed into a holder and clenched in her teeth. She was tall and had short red hair that curled out form under the yellow snap-brim fedora, she wore at a tilted angle. The black pinstripe suit and black and white two tone shoes underneath her coat had the same vintage look as the rest of her ensemble but then detective Janet DeWolf liked to make an impression wherever she went. 

She motioned to an older looking flatfoot that who was keeping one of the growing crowd of onlookers back from the lamppost where Deckard was still trussed up like a Christmas goose. 

"Sargent" She snapped. "Why does my crime scene look like the back-lot of Universal Studios?"

"They where filming a movie here sir, Matter of fact they got that guys capture on tape." he pointed at Deckard. 

DeWolf smiled evilly "Well I if it isn't my best friend in the world, Deckard, what is this the fourth …no the fifth time in six months we have had the pleasure of your company downtown. 

Deckard tried to be as cool as possible considering he was hanging off a post. I got nothing to say to you Officer Dyke-wolf just get me a lawyer and go play with your vibe."

"Would that be one of the Kingpin's high priced mouthpieces doing the honors."

"I don't know any Kingpin." Deckard said smugly (or as smugly as he could manage.) 

"Sure and this isn't disputed territory"

The only disputed thing that around here is if you're a man or a woman. 

Unlike you, obviously you're everybody's bitch 

Deckard could tell he was losing this battle and tried one last time to redeem himself. You just want me downtown so you can be with a real man DeWolf. 

Janet casually smiled at his attempt "Oh that is so right Deckard, with your loutish behavior, dubious personal hygiene and oafish appearance your perfect for reminding me why I don't waste time with men." She blew smoke in his face and strode away. 

The sergeant snickered openly and trotted after her "Why is he still stuck to the pole?" She asked taking another drag off her smoke. 

"Never been to a Spider-man call before have you sir. It basically means waiting around for an hour looking at the evidence." 

"Why?" 

"Whoever this guy is he uses some kind of adhesive to tie up the bad guys, until it dissolves it's the strongest stuff I come across and my brother works for one of the guys what makes glue." 

"So how long does it take to dissolve?" 

"Usually about an hour or so." 

"And in the meantime." 

"Statements from witnesses and the usual time wasters."

"Is there any other evidence." 

The note the officer handed the calling card to DeWolf who scanned it quickly 

"What is this guy a refugee from some cheesy seventies cartoon show?" 

"Actually, I think it's somewhat charming." The officer muttered knowing that DeWolf would ignore him. 

"You said there was camera footage of Deckard being captured do we have anything on the actual break-in 

"Photo evidence"

"Taken by whom"

"Him" the sergeant jerked his thumb over his shoulder at one of the growing number of photographers now that the story had broken of an actress mugged on the streets of New York. 

DeWolf looked over the crowd of media sharks. She marched up to the crowd of reporters and camera guys clamoring for face time with a well dressed good looking girl with long red hair. 

Janet announced in a raucous voice. "All right boys and girls, I have a big fat Obstruction Of Justice charge waiting for the person who does not produce the photos of my criminal gift pack." 

The crowd of reporters looked around at each other gauged her seriousness and took a collective step back except for one young man. 

He was 5ft and change and his brown hair made him look very ordinary. He had a leather bomber jacket that had a weathered look to it. 

"Parker, ma'am, Peter Parker, Detective I mean, well… that is, not me being a detective I mean you're a detective. I'm a photographer for the Bugle, mostly freelance, but you know when they need an extra hand or anything I…"

" Relax Parker, I don't bite, some corporal punishment occasionally, but nothing nasty you know and only with "special" friends."

She slid her arm around his shoulders and guided him away form the pack of media vultures. One of which detached from the band and followed at a discreet distance. "Parker I realize you media types have The First Amendment memorized backward and forward. I won't waste both our times by trying to strong arm you into giving up that film, but I will take this opportunity to tell you. Your little friend's work is appreciated, but the New York City Police Department officially has a policy of arresting and prosecuting vigilantes, regardless of how much public good is served by their work, that includes the masked variety. 

"He saved that actress." 

"Like I said Parker we like public minded citizens, but would she have been taken hostage if your hero-boy hadn't been chasing him?" 

"Who knows, but she definitely might have been hurt or worse if Spider-man hadn't taken his gun and trussed him up. I might also point out Detective, that Deckard's men have hit this block in the past. The storeowners that he was strong-arming haven't reported it and wouldn't have reported this crime. If Spider-man hadn't caught them in the act, and saved a high profile actress, would the police have sent one of their top investigators down here to check out a routine break and enter in a no-go area?" 

"Touché Parker, nice to know that you have a pair. I will have someone down at The Bugle in the morning to get a copy of your evidence." 

Parker turned to go. 

"By the way Parker how did you get the word your man was going to be in this part of town breaking up this little party."

Parker stopped and swung around. "Spider-man is my beat; Detective, where he is; I go, I got a call he was sighted in the area an I took a chance." 

"That would be on a cell-phone The Bugle pays the bills for and keeps records on right?

"I believe so, why?" 

"Parker I'm a Detective and a good one. I reached that lofty height by following my hunches and one I have now is there's more to you then meets the eye."

"Let's hope that's true of both of us Detective." Parker turned and walked to meet the man who had been following them. Ben Urich was a good reporter not that you tell at first glances. His good looks spoiled only by a goatee and ponytail that seemed to clash with his appearance more then anything else. 

"Way to put The Wolf in her place Parker. I might develop real respect for you."

"Ben isn't there something you should be doing other than listening to private conversations."

"Out of such conversations are good stories made. The Wolf has proof of the existence of the Kingpin, but no one will take her seriously. Deckard over there represents the only connection she has ever had to the overlord of New York criminal activity."

Rumored overlord, The Kingpin is an urban legend Ben; nobody believes that any one man could control a vast criminal empire and remain hidden for as long as The Kingpin has.

"True but, I thought I might take a stab at convincing them otherwise since I believe it and the Wolf believes it too. You wanted to know why she's down here tonight. It's not to see a soap star it's because Deckard's the closest thing she has to proof that Kingpin is real and he wants control of the city."

***

Across town a small nebbish hurried through the halls of a downtown, Brownstone followed by a casually dressed man in short sleeves and black Dockers munching on an apple he had snagged from a fruit bowel in the hall. The décor was a tasteful mix of contemporary and traditional Japanese. He was on his way to deliver bad news. Delivering bad news to his employer was a risky proposition at best and downright life threatening at the worst of times. His only happy thought was that this time, he was blameless and guilt free. His name was Hermann "The Arranger" Blum. The other man had no name he committed himself to other the one he had acquired in light of his superlative skills, Bullseye. 

The two men stepped into an open studio space converted to a dojo. There in the center kneeled a vast mountain of a man. A quarter of a ton and built like it too. He was naked from the waist up, wearing a combination of Tabai and gi pants his smooth shaven head glistening even in the subdued lighting of the workout space. His name was Wilson Fisk, but to all who worked for him he had but one name and it was always used without fail, The Kingpin. 

At the sides of the room were three men in workout sweats who bowed to him and to each other. Then they rushed him. The First man to reach him jump kicked him. The fat man blocked the foot and slapped the man's body to the ground hard. He planted his foot squarely in the boy's chest and turned himself quickly to intercept the next attack. The fact he crushed the boy's chest barely registered. The next attacker tried to cripple him. He unleashed a kick aimed at the Kingpin's midsection the big man reached out and slapped aside the attacks of his opponent. Then reaching past, Kingpin clamped on to his throat and squeezed hard. The snap was audible all the way to the other side of the room. He dropped the body. By this time the third boy had figured out this practice was for keeps he threw a series of blows and when a opening showed itself he tagged the big man on the nose causing it to bleed. He tried following up the attack but the big man ensnared his arm and snapped it in two places than slapped him across the face knocking him senseless. The boy dropped to the floor in a heap. 

Blum picked up a towel near the door and marched to the middle of the room. "Did you enjoy your workout Mr. Fisk"

"It was adequate. What news do you bring me?" Fisk rumbled as he toweled himself and wiped his bleeding nose. 

"There has been a snag concerning our… Urban Renewal project." Blum always chose his words with care. 

"Can the Police be dealt with?"

"Not this time, a costumed vigilante caught Deckard in the act. In addition, a freelancer for The Daily Bugle photographed him." 

"Jameson" the huge man hurled the towel in annoyance. What about this photographer?"

"Parker…Peter Parker, Freelance photojournalist. He brought Jameson the first pictures of Spider-man in action." 

Ah Jameson's wall crawling menace, the only menace he seems to be, is to my business. Bullseye, deal with those two. And no eating in the hall your mother doesn't clean up after you here." 

"For all you know of my background she might." Bullseye muttered "Which one?" The man continued to chomp on the half-finished apple. 

The Kingpin looked at the two who were still alive. He pointed to the unconscious youth. "He put up a fight he gets the health plan and full treatment." he looked at the other lying on his back groaning. He was useless dump him." 

Bullseye shrugged his shoulders and raised the apple high in the air and throwing it down with great force. The fruit bounced off the bridge off the man's nose with an audible crunch that silenced his moans. The apple bounced back into the air. Bullseye snatched it out of the air and proceeded to wolf down the rest of the fruit as though nothing had happened. 

Blum watched this with a critical eye and then followed his boss out of the dojo and down the hall o the palatial office that was the real workout space for the 450-lbs. man. 

A dresser waited for him and proceeded to buzz around him clothing him in a cream colored three-piece suit. Kingpin considered his woes and dealt with them the why he always did, at distance and effectively. "Deckard has become a liability send a Turk from legal to bail him out and a car to pick him up. Give him retirement. As long as it's not in front of this building or the police station, you can deal with him however seems appropriate."

"And, Spider-man?" 

"A showoff, have this Parker tailed for a while, see how he gets those photos of his. We can use him to find the insect. Bullseye can take it from there. Have you any good news?" 

"WE may have found a way for you to size control of Osborne Industries." 

"Ah crime is my life and my livelihood Arranger, and all of it is threatened by the sudden appearance of costumed freaks and rich boys who don't know their place in the world."

"Well this should appeal to you then Mr. Fisk. The method is almost legitimate and would be a good idea even if you weren't trying to muscle Norman out of his own company."

"How?" 

"Little Harry Osborne may have been embezzling funds to pay for a substantial gambling problem." 

"Who does he owe the money to?" 

"As of this evening, us. I… arranged to buy up his debt. The bookie that he owed money to has been …retired." 

"If I were a stockholder, I would be concerned if I heard something like that was going on." 

"Perhaps the benevolent Wilson Fisk, philanthropist and Oscorp board member should have a meeting with Norman Osborne to discuss the future direction of his company." 

***


	2. Part Two

***

The sun rose over the city the next day. Since the vast majority of New Yorkers would have told you that the sun rose and set on New York anyway this was not a surprise and so their day proceeded s normal. It began with a harassed Public Defender being shunted aside by a slick uptown suit that assured her that her that her work for half the night on Deckard's case-file was greatly appreciated. He then went in to a judge's chambers and came out with Deckard's bail order fifteen minutes later. Inside, the judge in question looked at a Polaroid taken of his granddaughter on her way to school that day and told himself that he was doing the right thing. That was a hard sell so he got very drunk and ended up in the bed of an underage prostitute having his pictures taken by a man who assured the Madam that the Kingpin would remember her …accommodating nature. Such was the nature of justice in New York and life under the Kingpin. 

The day continued with several officers drawing straws about who would break the news to DeWolf. A young rookie listened to a profanity filled diatribe. It was mostly about incompetent judges, that she would be checking into his dealings with a microscope etc. She found out six months later about the means used to get Deckard out of jail and she regretted some of the things she called the old judge that morning…some of the them, not all of them. 

Mary Jane got up early and checked the trades. As she had hoped, costumed crime fighters were big news in any city on Earth. There was a big picture of her. The Police were treating her for possible injuries (there hadn't been a scratch on her). The article was from a Daily Bugle staff writer so it was critical of Spider-man. "_Model and TV actress Mary Jane Watson found herself in the middle of a neighborhood gang conflict between local hoodlums and urban menace, Spider-man_…." The article went on from there, describing how Spider-Man had attacked the hoods and chased one of them into the set. He had shown "_callous disregard for Ms. Watson's life and safety almost involving her in a gun battle, before webbing up the criminal_." He had no doubt been planning unspeakable tortures until Ms. Watson, "_showing great courage and tenacity, had faced down the costumed miscreant. He had fled leaving his criminal cohorts for the police." _

Her agent e-mailed her links to a New York based Web site called Cool Newz.Com. On the site were more of the pictures and the name of the photographer. She smiled when she read the name. It had been a while since she had seen Peter Parker. She had not been shocked when he didn't approach her last night not considering what he had been like when they had known each other in school. 

"Well Tiger" she muttered as she began to dress for the day "No time for the shrinking violet routine, MJ needs to meet the man of the hour and you're her ticket to him." 

Peter's day started with the morning lecture from his elderly, Aunt May, about the dangers of his job. Then she switched to a new topic. The possibility, however slight, that he had been snapping pictures of Spider-man while Mary Jane had been in danger. He had to point out that there had been security on-site and they had not been able to respond in time to the crisis. Her response was that she and Ben had raised him better. She had fretted about what Anna Watson, might think of May's boy not lifting a finger to risk himself to protect a woman in peril. The woman was Mary Jane's paternal aunt and the only relative that Mary Jane had left in New York. Peter silently wondered if May Parker had even been this much of a nag when Ben Parker had been alive. That thought got him wondering. What Ben would say about all of this? Then of course that started him thinking abut the fact that Ben wasn't around to ask, a situation that Peter felt more then a little responsible for. He then spent the next five minutes blaming himself for Ben's death. Something that he found he still needed to do after all this time. 

His day got better after he reached the city. There was a message in his email from Jeanne Blanchard the web-mistress of CoolNewz.Com. His pictures had gotten her site another 1000 hits in the last hour alone. Pete smiled at the thought, J. Jonah Jameson publisher of the Daily Bugle only bought the pictures of Spider-Man that showed him doing dubious stuff that could be construed as socially objectionable. As far as Peter was concerned, giving the rest of the photos to Jeanne was just a way to get a different story out to the netizens of the world. The older readers of the Bugle might view Spider-man as a threat, but increasingly he was becoming something of an urban hero to the younger generation. 

There was also a message from another old friend he had not seen much of, Harry Osborne. Since high school, Harry had joined in the day to day running of Oscorp and there had been little time for the two of them to get together. The thought of spending time with Harry excited the young man and he longed to tell Harry about his brush with fame. The message was vague, asking for a meeting and not giving many details as to the reason. Peter suspected he knew though. It was no secret by now that Mary Jane was in town. Harry was sure to want a hook-up. The fact was, as much as he had wanted Mary Jane, he and always seen Harry as having more of a chance with her. He sent a response telling Harry to come in the afternoon so they could have lunch. He had barely sent the message when Ben Urich popped his head around the corner of the cubicle that was Peter's small corner in the Bugle kingdom.

"Boss was saying you have to be ready this afternoon. He wants you here to take pictures for the VIP tour." 

"Yeah don't worry, Harry mentioned that he was coming by." 

"Harry, who's Harry?" 

"Harry Osborne isn't he the VIP?" 

"Osborne is coming here to see you. Jesus kid, the strings you can pull amaze me, Spider-man, Mary Jane Watson now this. Next, you'll be telling me you're on speaking terms with Wilson Fisk."

"Who is the VIP?" 

"Didn't I mention Mary Jane is coming to see us …well to see you. Apparently, she thinks that it's the thought of looking bad in front of your camera lens that kept Spider-man from doing unspeakable acts to her famous personage. She wants to thank you personal-like." 

"Oh, man Ben you've got to stay here and help me. She was always a handful"

"Oh I'll bet she was. Sorry big guy, you're going to have to swing alone today. I've just gotten word that New York justice worked it's normal miracle and Deckard is being bailed out right now I am on my way to see if I can get a look at The Wolf grinding her teeth."

Peter stopped "You're kidding, they have him threatening a civilian with a gun on film what more would they need."

"A judge willing to stand up to the scumbags and ultimately to the Kingpin. Still believe the power of the Kingpin is just an urban myth?" 

Deckard's morning by contrast was even better. He spent a leisurely night in jail. Something he had been doing since he reached that stage of life where you stop getting slaps on the wrist and the police start paying attention to the anti-social things you do. He awoke to hear he made bail. He prepared himself. He was no fool. The boss was going to be pissed, but Deckard was of the opinion that even the boss would want to know what had happened. Maybe in those few moments Deckard could persuade him that he was still a valuable employee. He might have to leave New York, but that was to the good. It was getting weird in this town. A uniform showed up and escorted him to the entrance he looked around and spied DeWolf simmering as he strolled through the doors of the police station an in to the bight early morning day. A suit was waiting for him and he was about to toss some comment over his shoulder when the suit shook his head but the few waiting cameras proved to be too much of a temptation. 

"It wasn't me; The System is to blame." he said "Oh yeah and the incompetence of certain detectives on the cities payroll." He laughed contemptuously and slid into the back seat of a Cadillac as DeWolf had to be held back from him by several officers. 

The car pulled away from the curb and merged with traffic. Deckard looked in the backseat and saw Blum staring balefully back at him he stated sweating he looked in the front seat and saw Bullseye driving who smiled and winked. 

"Arranger, The Boss sent you to get me. That's…

"Indicator of how concerned he is to know, what the hell was going through your mind last night."

"It wasn't my fault, the old man wasn't there and so we decided to teach him a lesson."

"You were sent to have a talk with the old man, no wet work, no violence just have a talk and if necessary break a few things to get your point across."

"But, Spider-Man got in the way." 

"Because you were waving a gun around like some stupid punk in a liquor store." 

The car was close to the waterfront district moving quickly now the buildings flying by like flitting shadows. "Kingpin is very upset at this development Deckard, you are to leave town. No fuss, no muss. You leave and we make this go away you stay gone for awhile an maybe you can come back from this someday"

The car pulled to a stop in the neighborhood that Deckard recognized as his territory. "Give me a minute, I want Bullseye to speak to a potential witness. " Blum climbed from the car and Bullseye followed. They headed toward a newsstand. Deckard looked around, wondered how anyone could have seen anything in this place with…the doors clicked shut, and locked on their own. Deckard banged on the doors and glass but the sound didn't carry far.

The car ignited and jumped thirty or forty feet into the air before crashing to the street. Blum turned around and spoke to the elderly news-dealer. 

"When the police arrive. What did you see?" 

"Bunch a young punks in a gray car came out of no where and do a drive by." 

"The Kingpin appreciates you cooperation, I'm sure your family will to."

Another car pulled up from around the bock and picked up the two men. In the backseat, Arranger's cell-phone went off and he answered it. 

"Is the matter dealt with?" Came the voice at the other end. 

"The police are on their way to the scene, it was a horrible accident the witness is most upset."

"See that the family is compensated."

The Kingpin broke the connection and turned to watch the doors of his office open to admit a tall, well dressed, lanky man with slicked back hair and cool demeanor. "Norman how are you this morning." He rose to greet Norman Osborne. Osborne stuck out a hand in greeting it was wrapped in a medical bandage.

"What happened to your hand, Norman?" Fisk asked in a friendly fashion. 

"A small lab accident a few weeks ago I am getting over it. How are you Wilson?" 

"I'm fine Norman I asked you to come because a matter has come up that concerns me greatly and I think will concern the board." 

"The board, Why is there a problem?"

"It concerns young Harry." 

***

Mary Jane arrived at the Bugle that afternoon. J. Jonah Jameson emerged from seclusion in his office to greet the star in his usual gruff fashion. There was all the pomp and circumstance that MJ was used to. She was given a framed copy of the front page that had been printed that very morning. There were pictures taken, then Jameson told Peter to show MJ around the office. They saw all the sites from the printing press in the basement, all the way to the executive levels with the tour finishing at Peter's cubical. 

"And, this is where the magic doesn't happen." he quipped as they stood looking at the wall of pictures lining the cube. 

MJ leaned in and looked at the numerous photos of Spider-man swinging or standing looking at some off camera object and in a few cases him in action against some criminal. 

" Wow tiger you get pretty close to the action. Why does Spider-Man let you get photos of him when nobody else can? 

I'm not sure, I mean it's not like JJ ever uses my photos to make him look good I guess he has never gotten around to trying to stop me is all, but he might…one day." 

" On the other hand, maybe he's a marketing genius." 

"What do you mean?" 

The Bugle is read by old people, Pete, like my auntie and stodgy professionals. The younger folks like you and I, we get our news from online sources. Places like Cool Newz.Com. 

"Your point and I'm sure you'll get to it soon is…" Peter asked doubtfully 

"My point Petey-kins, is that Spider-man has to know that letting the Bugle have pictures assures that Jameson has someone to rant about. As long as he keeps letting you have photos he has Jameson's attention and as long as Jameson talks about him he has the instant credibility of being unpopular with the old folks which makes him…" 

"Solid with the younger generation and the rebellious fringe "

"Now we are on the same page this could be your big chance to help Spider-man make the big leap from being socially reviled do-gooder to …major celebrity maybe even as big as The Avengers or The Fantastic Four."

Spider-man already had a taste of the limelight and it was a little bitter. 

" Oh yeah, when?" 

"Back when he first started out he was a wrestler for about five minutes until one of the promoters ripped him off and some money was stolen from the box office and Spider-Man was blamed." 

" A wrestler, I'm not talking about that carnival barking nonsense I mean real celebrity like you can only get by being seen with a major star like my own pretty self."

Peter was saved from making a comment about that when Glory Grant, Jameson's secretary appeared. Her fine boned black features pulled into a smile as she saw the two taking so intently. "I hate to interrupt but you have another guest, a Mr. Harry Osborne. He says he made an appointment." 

"Thanks Glo', I'll handle it."

"Well isn't this a coincidence first you and now Harry soon the rest of the high school gang will show up an it'll be a real party."

"Listen MJ could we continue this a little later I have to talk to him."

"I totally understand and wouldn't mind saying hello, but first I have check my service is there some place that a girl can make a call privately?" 

"Yeah try Ben Urich's desk, he's out on assignment right now and he won't be back till later. "

The pretty star headed off to the cluttered desk and Peter turned to greet his one time roommate and currently still closest friend from High School, except for MJ 

"Hey Harry, How's it going? Long time no see." 

"Thanks Pete nice to see you too. Was that Mary Jane Watson I saw sashaying away from your desk? She was the bomb back in the day and she has only gotten better looking since then."

"She's in town for a movie and she was rescued by Spider-Man "

"Lucky you "

"Huh?"

"Spider man rescues MJ and presumably it was you that took the pictures I saw in the Daily Bugle this morning. I guess you saw the whole thing."

"Oh yeah, totally I saw every detail" Peter decided to change the subject. "So what's got you wanting to see me."

"Pete I need your help." 

"What can I do to help you Harry I mean you don't need me to do your science homework anymore." 

"I'm serious Peter, I have a problem."

"What is it?"

"I think someone's trying to rip off my dads company. They are trying to make it look like I'm the person responsible." 

"Harry why would anyone believe that you would steal from your father. "

Harry looked uncomfortable "Well I have been gambling again "

"Oh Harry"

Back in the day during the final year of school, Harry had begun betting on the games at school. Basketball, football than this had gotten steadily worse as they had gotten older Peter had tried to help him with what had eventually become an addiction. It seemed to help, but apparently, he had fallen off the wagon again. First, it was sport betting then more games then cards. 

"There is a high rollers game that meet's about once a month in a backroom. My guy set me up with them and they let me play. I lose a lot, but I always pay it back and I sometimes come out ahead "

"Harry have you ever skimmed off the top to cover you card losses?"

"Once or twice, but I always put it back Pete I swear. If whoever is doing this now is any more careless I'm going to be fried. Since my dad was the one who brought me into the company the shareholders might hold him responsible."

"Shouldn't you be telling this to your father." 

"Peter are you nuts this is my dad, he barely tolerates me as it is. Things have been really bad since the accident." 

" Accident?" 

" A lab tech blew up an Oscorp lab a few weeks back dad was observing an experiment there and got hurt he recovered ok but he's been distant to me and everyone else since. He's not even coming to tonight's party." 

This was news to Peter and when he looked at Harry quizzically Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"It's a meeting for the B of D for Oscorp. They want to show off some of the neat toys that are being made this year and to show that they are behind the old man. Half of them want his job. However, all of them will be there. Anastasia Hardy and her daughter Felicia, Wilson Fisk, your boss Mr. Jameson is even coming since he's a trustee for some of the older members." 

"Sounds like a party"

The two wandered over to Ben's desk as they drew near Peter whose hearing was much better lately then he liked to let on, heard MJ on the telephone. 

"What do you mean he has to think about it. This is free publicity for the show" She turned and saw the two of them getting close and hurried to the end of her conversation. "Listen just try and talk to him again I'm going to see what I can scare up out here." She hung-up the line and greeted the two men brightly. Harry and Mary Jane Hugged warmly and for a brief moment Peter felt a flash of jealousy at Harry's easy way with girls. Even when they had both been in High School it had always been easier for Harry to meet them then for Peter.

His mind traveled back to that time. When he was just Peter the creep. Mary Jane had been wildly popular, so had Harry, though for obviously different reasons. Peter had been a loner talking to as few people as possible and dating almost never. His friendship with Osborne was formed largely because Harry needed to pass science and Peter's science grades were legend in high school. The deal was struck He would get Harry through Biology and in return Harry would arrange a visit to one of the most exclusive Oscorp labs. He still remembered that afternoon field trip taken to show some of the things they had been studying in science class. 

Harry let it slip that the reason the class was not sitting in a sweltering room being droned at, was because of "My man Parker" Peter had enjoyed brief popularity and a few smiles from Mary Jane. 

He had also drawn the attention of the group of three scientists. His questions had gotten the men interested and the Peter had spoken to them for a few moments like equals. That had been his proudest moment. What were their names again, oh yeah Stillwell, Conners and Octavius. 

The conversation seemed to be slowing and Mary Jane was looking excitedly at Peter. 

"I'm sorry MJ you were saying." 

" I was saying it was nice of Harry to put us on the guest list for tonight's soirée" 

"Actually it is and useful with your old man pulling a no show and you representing him it might be our chance to find out if any of the board members really have it in for you." 

" I know just the designer who can have a gown ready for me by tonight, but we have to get you a tux Peter." 

MJ reached for the telephone before Peter could stop her and was dialing away when Harry reached past him and passed her a credit card "When she picks up tell her to put it on this account." 

Peter balked "Excuse me, what makes you all think I can't handle dressing, I have been dressing myself since High school." 

The two looked at him with horrified looks an MJ turned her attention back to the telephone "Carla I have a fashion emergency. I have to take a wallflower to the Osborne party what can you do for me."

***

The convention hall was buzzing that night and the band that had been hired was tearing up the joint with all the fury of the Titanic Orchestra given a last minute reprieve. 

The limo pulled up and the press out front descended on the car. 

Lifestyle reporter, Summer Paige shoved everyone out of the way ad got her mike in front of the playboy and his party girl. She gaped as Mary Jane climbed from the limo in a clinging cocktail dress with a train and ruffles at the bodice. The crowd stepped back as she raised her hands high and posed for the flurry of pictures that flashed. 

"Alright everyone the party has arrived." She vamped. She threw her arms out to either side. "Check out the luckiest guys on the plant boys and feel jealous." Peter and Harry stepped from the limo both dressed in matching Tuxedos. The only difference between them was a novelty bow tie for Peter MJ had found that was red with little black spiders on it. 

"It's hideous and cliched." He insisted

"Of course, but once everyone knows who you are It will be kitsch." 

The trio headed in the party arm and arm with MJ smiling up a storm. 

Summer walked with them up the red carpet. "Harry no appearance from your father this evening does this mean that rumours of ill health are true." 

Absolutely not Summer, Dad is just tired and besides I can't hide behind the Old Man forever I have to meet the shareholders and the BOD eventually." 

Summer had expected that and smoothly switched her target to his date. "What about you Ms Watson how are you enjoying New York?" 

"Oh who couldn't love this town? There's Dining, Dancing and Danger and all within a few blocks of each other." 

"Any truth to the gossip that you're taking time away from the set of Secret Hospital to think about a certain co-stars proposal of marriage?" 

"Summer, you know me I'm too much of a party girl to settle for one guy though I have been swept off my feet by a certain spandex suited hero that you New York Girls have been keeping under wraps." 

So you're hoping to catch another glimpse of local hero Spider-man 

"That's why I'm hanging out with Peter Parker here. Wherever Spider-man is; he is so, I hope it works in reverse." 

Summer was just about to attack Peter with questions when MJ grabbed him and hauled him inside the building.

"Rule one of living in the public eye Peter, never open your mouth near a camera unless you know what's going to come out of it." 

"Trust me this I know." 

"Good" 

The room had been decorated wit a futuristic motif and in the centre a fountain in which had been placed a huge ice sculpture of a DNA double helix strand. It reached all the way to the domed ceiling with its stained glass skylight. 

The party was in full swing and the crowd was mingling nicely. Harry introduced MJ and Peter to many of the shareholders and the Board of Directors. They met Anastasia and Felicia Hardy, Peter knew Felicia from Empire State University as being a bit of a princess. Hell, she was a lot of a princess. She greeted Peter and Mary Jane in a respectful fashion, but she saved most of her charm for Harry who she greeted with a warm hug and a kiss.

Peter left them to their catch up and He and Mary Jane headed to the well-furnished buffet table. 

"Is she really that much of a bitch in school." MJ asked as they watched the two-trust fund babies air kiss each other. 

"Actually, I think that she has mellowed some." Peter smiled as he piled topping on a cracker and handed the snack to MJ who nibbled at it. 

She would almost have to wouldn't she?" The redhead bitched. She looked around the room and spotted a hulking man in a black evening tuxedo. 

"Who's the man-mountain?" 

"That would be Wilson Fisk. Fisk owns Fisk International the centre of which is Fisk Imports." 

"He's a importer "

"He's a rich guy who gives a lot of money to many things so many people don't ask a lot of questions about were the money comes from. He likes to tell people he's just a spice merchant but if spices paid for that tuxedo then I'm Tony Stark."

"Well if you think he hiding something why not ask him a question or six." 

"Because he has lawyers, in fact, his lawyers have lawyers this man has sued people into the next world for suggesting that he doesn't pay his taxes on Time." 

"Well if somebody is like that in Hollywood it only means one thing." 

"Gay" They said in chorus and then collapsed into laughter. 

The band slowed to a halt and Harry took the stage looking a little uncomfortable to have the whole room staring at him.

"I want to start by thanking you all for coming. My father is anxious that I take a more active role in the company so my appearance here tonight is a chance for you all to get to know me and for me to get to know all of you." 

Peter watched the crowd for reactions, but Mary Jane saw the real drama. 

"Check out the Big Man, he's working it." 

Peter looked over and Fisk was in close conversation with the Hardy women his enhanced hearing tracked the conversation and what he heard was not good. 

"So you see my Dear I thought it best that I come to you about this matter. Norman seems unsure how to handle things seeing as it is his son, but as one of the other trustees on the board I thought you might want to know." Wilson sounded sincere in his concern. 

"I knew that boy was trouble…imagine Norman insisting he go to a public high school. Felicia be glad I saw to it that you were spared the trials of a public education till you were ready." Anastasia glanced disdainfully in Peter's direction. "No doubt he picked up the gambling from that Parker person who accompanied him to night. Honestly, what kind of a career can he have, chasing some man in tights around town snapping pictures of him? Rest assured Wilson when the time is right you will have my full support." 

Peter looked at Mary Jane she read from his face the serious situation that faced them. They moved off into the crowd. This is bad." Peter moaned 

"Relax Peter, you and Harry will make this work, I'll help if I can, we will get him out of this" 

"Thanks MJ its great having you back in town "

She smiled "It's nice to spend time with you too tiger you're different from High School I'm not sure what it is, but I think the change has done you good." 

Peter smiled and leaned toward her than he felt a soft tingle in his head that slowly increased until it was like the buzzing of a chainsaw against his skull. He looked around and then glanced upwards, sensing rather then seeing, that something was coming. 

"Mary Jane, this way." He hissed quickly dragging her to one side as the domed ceiling exploded inward. 

A figure dropped though. He was clad completely in green armor and riding a glider. The face of the man was covered in what looked like a day of the dead curio mask. He was laughing demonically as he flew around the room. He thrust out his arms and a blossom of flame belched from his hands and blasted part of the walls about the stage area. 

"What the hell is that." Mary Jane asked as Peter sought to drag her further away from potential danger. 

"I don't know, but my job is to take pictures of it you get outside."

"You can't fool me, you're going to call Spider Man aren't you." 

"A giggling green maniac spewing fire and blowing things up in the middle of downtown. Trust me if Spider-man is in the area he is already on his way." 

He darted away from MJ and headed to the coat check. True to his word, Harry had insured that Peter's camera equipment was stowed safely away. He grabbed the bag from the shell-shocked girl and headed for the balcony overlooking the event two floors above. From a concealed compartment in the bottom of the bag, he pulled his mask, gloves, and blue pullover. The rest of his costume was on underneath his tuxedo. As he had told MJ, it was time to go to work. 

***

MJ ran with the crowd for only a moment before her instincts took over. The action was behind her and she was fleeing in the wrong direction. She spun on her heel and sprinted back to the hall. She saw the armored guy maneuvering to get a clear shot at Harry who had taken refuge behind the podium. 

Oh come on Harry come out, come out wherever you are. I only want to blast you just a little and it will hurt much worse if you run from me I promise. 

Summer had taken cover near the coat check. She was giving a running commentary in to the camera mike as she tried to catch every image. " The figure is perched n top of a glider like contraption and he is blasting away as though…. Anyway, he looks like some kind of giggling green goblin I can only speculate on were the weapons he is using came from." 

Summer crouched lower and tried to get a clear shot of the floating menace gliding above her head when the her was a sound from far above the floor. She turned her camera in the direction of the new sound and witnessed the arrival of the Calvary. Spider-man dropped through the shattered domed ceiling and bounced off the balcony railing. He grabbed on to the chandelier hanging high above the floor and used momentum to bring him around to drop onto the podium where he crouched staring up at the green clad marauder above him. 

Harry used the distraction to scramble for safety away from the conflict.

"Well I can't say much for the colour choice, but the mask is definitely a nice touch" 

This is not your fight insect, back off before I squash you" the Goblin waved a hand menacingly at the Wall crawler who snickered openly at him

Squash me, am I supposed to be afraid of a guy in pixie boots and a bell cap flying on a glider. Or is it that mask that makes you look like a reject from a Punch and Judy show." 

The Goblin snarled and thrust his arm out throwing a spherical object at Spider-man. He had maybe a tenth of a second to register that it looked like a pumpkin before his spider sense started screaming. He leapt out of the path of the pumpkin that exploded when it hit the spot on the stage where the web slinger had been crouched seconds before. 

"You will pay for defying me." 

"Oh I see it's your grasp of kitsch seventies super villain dialogue that has you convinced that this is going to go the distance." 

Spider-man bounded from the stage and landed on the balcony (near to the spot where a camera was snapping pictures automatically) he threw out his arm and a web line shot out snaring the goblin glider. Then using the glider as a pivot he swung across the stage area and landed on a wall. 

The goblin was thrown off balance by the maneuver. As he threw out his arms to balance himself he shot off one of his goblin weapons and the ice sculpture in the middle of the fountain was sheared in two. The top half began falling toward Mary Jane who screamed as she saw where the massive construct was going to land. 

Spider-man shot out a web-line and snagged the chandelier then swinging down he grabbed the girl and pulled her to safety as the top half of the sculpture landed with a tremendous crash. 

Meanwhile the goblin had steadied himself and was now menacing the Broad of Directors. "You're all to blame, and you'll be punished. Everyone of you will feel the goblins wrath." He throw another pumpkin bomb that would have taken the rest of the stage had not a web-line intersected it inches from the ground and drove the bomb into a far wall. 

The goblin turned to blast the interfering spider-man and saw him flying toward him the goblin swerved to the side around the other side of the chandelier.

The spider grabbed onto the chandelier again and used it to pivot himself around in a wide circle. His feet kicked against the goblin glider sending it and it's rider backwards into the balcony causing the precariously placed camera to fall onto the glider lens upward. 

Spiderman cursed silently and bounded after the glider. The goblin thinking that this was part of the Spiderman's offensive strategy flew downwards. 

"Since the party has been ruined by so many gatecrashers, I'll take my leave young Osborne, but be warned the goblin can and will strike at any moment." He cackled as he flew low causing some of the crowd to duck their heads.

He grabbed Felicia Hardy from the crowd and hauled her onto the glider. "Time to take a ride Missy" he hissed 

They went upward through the dome, Spider-Man in close pursuit. The Goblin was paused at the lip of the roof. Spider man shot out a web-line to grab the camera but instead he snagged the glider. Goblin startled at the sudden stopping of his flight and spotted the web slinger. 

Still playing the hero are we, well then hero, save this" he threw Felicia off the glider and she began to plunge to the street below Spider-Man immediately let go of the glider and bounded after the girl. The glider jolted at its sudden freedom and the camera slipped off the glider to land on a security ladder on the edge of the roof lens downward. 

Spider-man angled himself for max speed and dived toward the falling girl he shot out a web line that he played out behind him. Then reaching toward the falling girl, he grabbed her falling form and snap twisted the line in his fist around his wrist. The line stretched downward and Spider-man and the falling girl stretched with it. As they neared the street he wondered if it would be safe to just let her go, but she was clinging to him and screaming, not a good combination. He hugged her close and allowed the web-line to pull them both into the air. Then as they reached the apogee of the upward trip, he fired out another web-line and latched on to the cornice of the building. He swung down to the street and deposited her gently on the ground. 

"Are you ok Ms Hardy" he asked looking skyward trying to find the vanishing dot that was the Goblin's glider. 

"I'm fine thank you, that was brave of you. If there is anything that I can ever do to repay you for my life…?" 

Spiderman looked at the girl for the first time and noticed there was a look of hunger in her eyes. "Well I'll let you think about how you want to repay me and in the meantime I'll see if I can catch up to chuckles up there." With that the slinger fired a web-line upwards and crawled up the side of the building. 

MJ ran out of the trashed party and saw the departing hero. The two girls gazed after the hero thinking similar thoughts. When they looked at each other and saw that fact, they turned and marched away from each other, MJ whispering "Skank" under her breath and Felicia Hardy hissing under hers.


	3. Part Three

Hours later MJ showed up at the offices of the Daily Bugle and found her date huddled over his desk. "What happened to you, you disappeared after the Goblin showed. Spider-man did the big rescue thing and I don't know if you got any pictures of it." 

"Believe me MJ I got it all on film" 

"You can say that again" MJ turned and saw a handsome older black man with rolled up sleeves and white hair. 

"MJ meet Joe Robertson the only guy who stands up to J. Jonah Jameson" Peter smiled at J. Jonah's editor and chief 

"So Pete got the fight on film?" The MJ asked 

"On film, he got some shots that look like he was right on the back of the goblin's glider." The man was obviously ecstatic. "The shots of the rescue of Felicia Hardy …kid even JJ was impressed, but I wouldn't recommend telling him I said that."

"Trust me Robbie I don't believe he said that" Peter said doubtfully

"So is Spiderman a hero now or what? I mean saving the party guests and Felicia Hardy. That has to count for something." Mary Jane interjected

"Don't bet on it Pete" Robbie held up a test page that bore the image of that days headline-to-be.

" Freak Fight threatens Socialite" Peter read, with the headline was a picture of Felicia plunging to the street, Spider-man reaching for her. 

"I guess this means no humanitarian award for the Web Head" Mary Jan deadpanned remorsefully 

"Danm" Peter cursed "What is J.J thinking, swinging out to save a girls life on a thread, oh big social threat there." 

"It's the lack of accountability" a new voice broke into the conversation. Peter turned with the rest of the group to survey his boss the gruff and abrasive J. Jonah Jameson publisher of the Daily Bugle and the man who some said hated Spiderman more then anything else. 

"Your Spider-man does these heroic things, but he wears a mask. What is he hiding? Who does he have to fear if his only thought is the public good? Firemen, Policemen, they put their lives on the line everyday and they don't need masks or fancy gimmicks. The Fantastic 4 live their lives publicly, the Avengers are sanctioned by the government." 

"So since the web-head isn't running around with a badge he gets the tar and feather treatment from your paper." MJ asked 

"I don't expect an actress to understand the need for the public to have faith in its symbols." JJ shot back.

"We aren't all decadent orgy loving pleasure seekers Mr. Jameson." 

"No but you don't get in front of the camera because you want to live the quiet life you and Spider-Man are all the same in my book. Glory hungry narcissists, the only difference is that I don't expect that you are going to save me if I get in trouble. People are starting to believe that this Spider-Man is going to be there if they need him. I want people to know the truth, that he has his own agenda and if he isn't going to admit it publicly, then it's the job of this paper to expose him for who and what he is."

***

The Kingpin was in a mood and wasn't shy about showing it. "Arranger what the hell happened tonight?" 

"I am trying to find out Mr. Fisk." The Arranger said helplessly from the snakes nest of telephone receivers he was attached to." 

"It's been hours; normally you have every detail on the lives of someone in that amount of time." 

"The fact is no one knows where this…Green Goblin came from." 

"He attacked me. No one strikes at the Kingpin and gets away with it." 

"His focus seemed to be on the Osborne Boy." 

"And this has significance how? Arranger, if I wanted the boy dead I would have had it done by now. Some costumed freak tries to do him in and the Norman and the Board will panic. I want the situation controlled." 

Bullseye reclined in the office casually pruning a rose he had cut from the batch in the hall. "I say you let me track this Goblin and I'll use him for target practice. Him and the Spider if it comes to that." 

"No, I have a better plan we will use the one to destroy the other. You said that Parker has a connection with Osborne," the Kingpin asked speculatively. 

"Yes they're old school friends." The Arranger confirmed. 

"That would explain his appearance at the party and Spider-man showing up later" Bullseye pointed out. 

"You think they are working together." The Arranger guess where his boss was going. 

"We will find out soon enough, Arranger insure that Anastasia Hardy's next garden party is held at the Osborne condo."

"That could prove a challenge." The Arranger put down all but one of the telephones in his hands

"You frequently tell me I have more money then God, make it work for me. "

"And when the site has been changed." 

"Insure that Parker's name is added to the guest list…" The Kingpin sat back and outlined his plan. 

***

It was a day or so after the party incident and the papers were filled with speculation on the identity of the Green Goblin. Peter secretly began scouring the city day and night both in costume and out to find a clue as to the renegades location. Mary Jane retreated to the safety of her hotel. She claimed to be in negotiations with her agent about a big deal. On her TV Show, her character hovered near death. 

Harry continued to try to find out who was behind the pilfering of the company accounts. The trail was getting cold and Harry was losing hope that he could solve the mystery. Worse, his father was more distant then ever. He was barely making time to see him to speak of business matters anymore. 

It was for this reason that he was going over the monthly shipping receipts and noticed something. There was stuff missing from Warehouse House #23 on the West Side of town. It listed the containers and everything. Harry picked up the telephone and called Don Rafferty, the warehouse manager. 

"Mr. Osborne I'm not sure what you mean there is nothing missing from this warehouse." 

"Rafferty I am looking at the forms, container #24601 is missing. It has high tech stuff from the prototype boys." 

"Mr. Osborne I am looking at that container right now and I can tell you that no matter what the little paper in front of you says that the thing is right here in storage" 

Harry hung up and looked at the paper again. Then he began checking back through the system archives. There was the loss forms and the insurance claims and the inventory filings all in place and all saying that #24601 was not supposed to be in the warehouse. Then he saw that the name on the loss report was his own which was funny since he had not needed to fill out a loss report in the last six months. He then checked and found that he had been filling out loss reports for sites all over the city. Then he reached for the telephone. 

***

Spider-man swung over the cornice of a building and grabbed on to a guy wire strung between the building and the warehouse across the street. He pulled himself up into a low crouch. He stared down at the loading dock. Harry's call had shocked him and he had checked with Ben Urich. Ben had confirmed that some businesses filed theft reports early if someone on the inside was overseeing the inventory. Reports where a pain in the ass. No doubt, someone was not counting on Harry going over the files. 

"So someone is stealing from Oscorp and making it look like an inside job and Harry's inside job at that." The web head muttered as his eyes searched the night for activity on the loading dock. 

Ben had suggested that if the reports were filled out now, but that the box was still in the warehouse; whoever had set up the theft would be removing it in days if not in hours, thus the sting operation. Spidey hoped that by grabbing whoever was stealing the box he could get the facts behind the traitor at Oscorp. 

He noticed a panel truck pulling up to the loading dock and four men disembark. He watched carefully as the men approached the dock master. "This part is normal, guy in charge of the crew shows the delivery order the dock master, who checks it on his handy dandy computer thingy and the then …whoops something's wrong, some kind of screw up. Well Mr. Dock master sir we will just come back in the morning and get things cleared up like honest up standing citizen types." 

One of the four men pulled a gun from his jacket and chambered a round with a loud sound the reached the web head high above the street. 

"Oops no Instead we are going to pull guns now and compensate for our small genitalia." Spider-man muttered and sprang off the wire and flipped down onto the roof of the truck and then forward on the dock. 

The group of men froze for moment. Then shotgun boy laughed nervously. "Who are you supposed to be. Kung-fu Guy?" 

"No, Kung Fu Guy is off having cream-of-some-young-guy so the part of official ass kicker will be played by your friendly neighborhood Spiderman." The web head replied urbanely 

He sprang forward fast. He rabbit punched the thug in the stomach grabbing his shotgun in the process. Then he swung the gun around and hit the second guy in the side of the head with it. Catching sight of a third miscreant drawing a bead on him with a pistol he threw the gun at him hard and it smacked the side of the mans face. His spider-sense screeched a warning and Spiderman leapt into the air as a shot rang out and the wind of a bullet whizzing by underneath him split the air. 

Time slowed and the web slinger turned in the air spinning around and thrusting out his arm in the direction of the shooter. A web-line streaked out and fastened on the gun in the thief's tightened grip. Spiderman hauled back hard on the web-line and the man was propelled forward Spiderman landed on the ground and sprang forward. His arm connected with the criminals chin causing his whole body to flip upward then crash to the ground. The man was out cold. 

The dock manager climbed to his feet and as Spiderman began gathering the thieves together in a group and webbing them up. 

"What about the guy in the cab of the truck." The man asked fearfully 

Spiderman looked up and saw the idling truck rev to life and scream away from the curb and down the street

"Call the police and tell them the number on the truck and that the rest of the gang is here." He said quickly. 

"What are you going to do." The man replied. 

"Catch up to that driver." 

"The odds against you catching him are astronomical." 

" Never tell me the odds." Spiderman muttered as he finished tying up the thieves and ran down the street. 

The truck took a corner on two wheels and disappeared. Spiderman leapt up and grabbed a lamppost. He fired a web-line and swung around the corner. He began swinging through the streets moving fast. The buildings flew by in a blur the web-slinger couldn't see as his focus was completely on the fleeing truck. A car made an illegal turn in front of the truck and cutting it off causing the driver to slow for a second. 

A patrol car saw the erratically driving truck and began a pursuit though the downtown streets. 

Spiderman flew through the air and aimed for the roof of the truck. It shot forward at the last second as he reached out and grasped the edge of the roof with one hand. It stuck fast and his body was dangling in the air behind the speeding truck. As he hung on 1-handed, Spider-man looked down and spotted the ground whizzing by less than a foot away. Bracing his feet on the back of the truck he started to crawl toward the top of the truck when it swerved to avoid an obstacle up front. The wall crawler was surprised when the combination of the erratic movements of the truck and his weight caused the truck doors to fly open. The door he was clinging to swung around and bashed him against the side of the truck. 

"Where did this idiot get his license to drive, Hazzard county?" 

He hauled his body onto the roof and crawled along the roof. Swinging down on the passenger side he yanked open the door and slid inside the moving vehicle. The driver pulled out a crowbar and flailed at the hero who fought back. Spiderman grabbed at the crowbar and the driver let it go and reaching behind Spiderman's head, grabbed him and thrust him forward through the windshield. Spiderman sprawled forward on the hood of the truck and felt himself slipping when he grabbed onto the truck and spun his body around. Perched securely on the hood of the truck Spiderman fired a web ball at the drivers eyes. 

The man screamed and began tearing at the covering trying to get his eyes free. Spiderman was smiling and about to give one of his pithy remarks when his spider sense went from the low hum it had been producing and started screeching again. He swung his head around and saw the truck headed full speed toward a cul-de-sac. He saw a police car behind the truck and he only hesitated for a second. Then he reached through the broken windscreen and hauled the blinded driver out of his seat throwing him over his shoulder. He leapt to a wall and let the mass of the truck pass underneath him. There was a massive crash and the truck came to rest, the front cab crumpled beyond recognition. Spiderman tied up the still struggling man and lowered him to the roof of the truck. 

Turning he crawled up the side of the building. He could feel bruises forming that refused to wait until morning to start torturing him. He reached the roof and as he pulled himself over the lip he felt a screeching pain in his arms. Apparently, being dragged behind a truck was bad for them. He mused about his pain threshold as he started web slinging through the gathering shadows of night.


	4. Part Four

Two days later Peter and MJ were in the Harry's palatial condo the news that Peter was to attend the Hardy gathering was a shock to none more then it was Peter. Mary Jane slapped his arm. "Relax Peter, these parties are a breeze, just laugh at the right jokes, fake interest in the person running the party and gossip relentlessly" 

Peter winced and cradled his arm. " I should be fine my Aunt May tells me she used to go to these things all the time when she was younger." 

Mary Jane looked at him for a moment " What's with your arm its been bruised for a day or so now" 

"I was trying to catch a ride downtown the other night. The guys didn't want to stop." 

"Man that is the one thing that I don't miss about living in Manhattan." The red head replied and stroked her hand down Peter's aching arm soothingly. 

The couple moved into the main living room and surveyed the room filled with well-heeled guests. At the center of it all looking as if the world belonged to her was Felicia Hardy. Harry stood at her side looking lost until he caught sight of Mary Jane and Peter entering the room. 

"Guys how's it going, thanks for making it MJ. It classes the place up to have a real star here. 

"Not for much longer according to my sources in Hollywood" the blond haired Felicia was in full bitch mode and she found a ready opponent in the feisty Mary Jane Watson. 

"Getting your news tips from the same cheap end stores you obviously buy your clothes." 

"This is a Donna Karin original not that I'd expect you to tell the difference." 

"Of course I can tell, I have to listen to Donna whine about the bastardized versions the so-called high end stores made her knock-off."

"Ladies lets retract the claws, This is a social occasion." Harry made placating gestures between the two hissing women. Peter latched on to MJ and began dragging her away from the ensuing battle 

"Why didn't you let me punch that little bit…" 

"Because Harry is counting on us to make him look good. Felicia influences her mother who in turn influences the rest of the Oscorp board. If this goes well the board might back off of Harry's father for a while and give us a chance to unearth who is ripping off the company." 

Mary Jane nodded and Peter steered them toward a buffet table. Looking at her appraisingly, he reached for the healthful canapés and low cal treats. Mary Jane looked at him. "Think again Tiger, if I have to endure an afternoon with the Felicia the she-beast I want real food." 

***

The two wondered into the living quarters and from there to a big office study looking out over the city. Peter poked his head in the door and spotted a computer on the desk. 

"This is great just like on Secret Hospital." 

"MJ if this was Secret Hospital a major clue would be sitting right out in the open. That doesn't happen in real life." 

"Oh really Mr. Doubting Thomas, well for your information, we had a detective consult on the series. She says that criminals leave clues right out in the open all the time its how they manifest their desire to be caught." 

"Well I hate to burst your bubble but the only thing we are going to find on Norman's computer is the porn sites he cruises when he supposed to be negotiating business deals." 

The two sleuths looked at each other and then dashed as one to the computer. Peter booted it up and they looked at some of the files. 

"It will be the movie files." 

"Here's something a big piece of V-Mail" 

"What is it?" 

"I'm pulling it up …here we go." 

The V-Mail panel opened and a tired looking man with a mop top haircut and sunglasses faced the camera. 

"Who's the stiff?" Mary Jane asked. 

"I think that's Dr. Octavius, Otto Octavius he works for Oscorp." Peter supplied as the scientist continued talking.

"Mr. Osborne, pursuant to our conversation I have continued the tests on the samples of the test subject. The gene mutation is progressing at an uncontrolled rate. The …mental aberrations you were mentioning are most likely a symptom of this. That would be backed up by the EEG readings you provided. I must strongly recommend that you bring the test subject in. God alone knows what that hell he is seeing." 

The panel closed as figures started scrolling across the screen. Peter looked at some of the figures and whistled. "Osborne has been backing some heavy gene manipulation research." 

Mary Jane looked at the screen. "What's he trying to do build a better capitalist?" 

Peter shrugged his shoulders "What ever it is it's illegal. This type of gene research is supposed to be strictly controlled." 

MJ started at more of the file unfolding in front of them. "These are the brain pattern readings right?" Peter nodded and she continued. "These look a little erratic for a normal person." 

Peter looked at the readings and nodded "These are erratic for a serial killer. Whoever this guy is he is completely nuts."

MJ stepped back her mind racing with all the new information. "I know you don't think much of soap opera scripts, but consider this. Oscorp scientist comes up with a great drug or chemical. They want to test it, but they wouldn't be able to test it legally since human testing is banned. Norman finds a patsy, someone willing to go under the knife and the experiment works." 

"Of course…the guy goes nuts and wants revenge against Norman. He escapes."

"Can you get a list of the things that were stolen from the warehouses." 

"Give me a sec…" Peter pounded keys soon a list of parts came up on the screen." 

"What the hell is this stuff." Mary Jane looked at the screen amazed. 

"Military prototypes, Anti-personnel devices, look a single manned glider." 

"Goblin weapons." MJ whispered as the pieces fell in to place for her

"Remember the Green Goblin went after Harry." Peter reminded her "He must have been trying to revenge himself for Norman screwing with him." 

"Does this mean we just solved the mystery of the Green Goblin?" MJ asked him excitedly. 

Yes Shaggy, I think we can call this case officially cracked." The two amateur detectives high-fived one another. One of Mary Jane's earrings jostled loose and fell under the desk and she stooped to get it. 

Peter spotted Harry as he poked his head through he door. One of the serving waiters was with him and standing just behind Harry. Peter's Spider sense went off. "Harry I think I know who has been stealing from the company and why the Green Goblin has been after you." He forced MJ under the desk to keep her out of sight. 

"Peter we have bigger problems." Harry said quietly motioning him to follow him into the hall. 

"If you people could head down the hall this will all be over very quickly." The gun toting waiter said and the three headed in the living room. Two other men were standing covering the room with guns. 

Peter looked around and turned to Harry. "Any idea why the waiters are armed and dangerous." 

"This ladies and gentlemen is your typical low maintenance stick up. Your cash, credit cards and jewelry if you please." 

One of the men at the party piped up you don't think your going to get away with this do you."

The leader looked at the man and sighed " There's one in every bunch." He then pistol-whipped the man who crumpled to the floor. "Does anyone else have anything to say." 

Peter felt his spider sense amp up to a screeching hum in his head he looked around and caught sight of movement out side the window. "Yeah duck."

He hit the floor as did Harry. Therefore, they weren't actually watching when the bay window blew inward. 

Peter looked up at the dust clear and saw a green clad figure moving slowing into the now blasted room perched on his glider. "Well, Well all the people I so dearly want to see dead, and thoughtfully they are all here." 

***

There was a moment where Peter briefly lost it. Frankly, in the old days when he was poor pathetic Parker and a situation like this presented it self, his only obligation was to stay alive. Then it occurred to him that to his knowledge situations like this never happened before he was bitten by a genetically enhanced spider. The thugs, in true thugs style, started shooting at the Green Goblin. The Goblin threw out his arm and a laser blast took one of the thugs and turned him in to a pillar of flame. 

Peter was shocked like everybody else but unlike everyone else needed a way out of the room so that he could change. The crowd instinctively headed for the door so Peter sprinted for the backrooms already pulling his shirt open to reveal the Spider-Man costume underneath. He was near a room window close to the office where MJ was hiding when The goblin caught site of him making for the office "Oh no you don't Junior." He cried out and fired one of his smart bombs down the hall. 

MJ was crouching in the office trying to get someone on the telephone when she heard movement in the hall she popped her head up from under the desk. She caught sight of Peter standing in the hallway near a window and was shocked to see the scarlet and blue costume of Spider-man under his jacket. 

Peter saw the bomb and dived through the window as the bomb exploded behind him. He twisted in the air grabbing the side of the building. He yanked off the rest of his clothing then he swung away from the building coming around and flying through the hole in the bay window. 

"Hey Gobby you took off so quick the last time that we didn't get a chance to really dance." 

"Fine insect tango with this" goblin hurled a pumpkin bomb at him. Spider-Man fired a web-line at the bomb snagging it and swinging it around his head throw it out the window where it exploded harmlessly. 

The web slinger dived toward the goblin. The green menace swirled to the right dodging his attacks. Spider-Man fired a web-line snagging the glider. "Your grounded goblin" 

The goblin powered up the gliders engines and drove right at Spider-man. The slinger leapt sideways and was still in the air when the goblin switched directions and fired himself out the window and out over the downtown traffic centre. The web-line went tight for a half second before spider-man was dragged outside behind the glider.

They began chasing throughout he sky. Spider-man weaving and trying to evade the bolts the goblin fired trying to eight force him to let go or blast the line he was holding on to. The problem was that he was also driving the glider and this meant his attention could not be diverted long from the task of keeping them both from flying into one of the surrounding buildings. 

"This is not an air taxi." The goblin snarled

"Are you sure you drive like a maniac, you don't know where you're going, and you smell repulsive." The webslinger quipped. 

Goblin spied a construction sight below and dove at it sharply. " Time to squash you like the bug you are." The glider began to weave in and out of the metal framework for the building. Spider-man already having his hands full trying to keep from being blasted now had to avoid slamming at full speed into metal girders. 

The worker on the site scrambled for safety as the fight worked it's way through the building. Spider-mans senses went high alert. Glancing ahead, he saw The Goblin would clear the next girder only by inches. Making a quick choice, he released his hold on his web-line. He grabbed the passing girder and flipped himself up to a higher level. He ran across the skeletal platform, the goblin glider just beneath him. 

The goblin sailed out the other side of the building swerved around and fired a bomb at one of the support struts for the structure. A worker on a floor above slipped and fell grabbing on to a metal beam. The beam started pulling away from the building. 

Spider-Man leapt out on a hastily fired and secured web-line. He swung around the building. The worker finally lost his grip and began to fall. Spider-Man fired another web-line and snagged the back of the man's shirt, arresting his fall. Spider-man was now in the center of a pendulum. One web-line connected him to the building while the other was lowering the worker to the ground. The wall crawler's spider-sense screamed a warning; he turned and saw the goblin barreling toward him. He was still attached to the worker and the building so at the last second the spider released his hold on the man who crashed harmlessly to the earth. The Goblin Glider slammed into Spider-Man and continued through the building and out the other side. 

"You know how I feel about hitchhikers Spider-Man." The Goblin laughed and brought the glider to a dead halt in front of a tenement. Momentum carried the spider crashing though window to sprawl at the feet of an eight-year-old who just that morning had been complaining to his mother that nothing fun ever happened in his neighborhood 

The goblin watched as Spider-Man climbed weakly to his feet. "This building has a spider infestation time, time for a through bug bombing." He fired off the last of his smart bombs. Spider-Man moved instantly grabbing the child and hurling himself and the boy through a door into the hall outside. The explosion took out the whole room and started a fire that spread quickly to the rest of the floor. 

Spider dropped his pint-sized burden. "Kid does anyone live up stairs." 

The boy nodded. "An old lady she's the only one." 

Spider-Man nodded "Ok here's what I want you to do get everyone on this floor and the one below out of here get them to the street and have somebody call the fire department. With that he sprinted up the stairs two at a time and ran down the hall. He found the apartment and knocked on the door. 

His spider sense went off again and he stepped to the side and evaded a shotgun blast the tore a hole in the door. 

"You punks won't get Me." a crotchety voice from inside the apartment screamed before another shotgun blast went off. Spider-Man kicked the door open. The old lady was armed and watching the entranceway he ran inside and then up one wall across the ceiling landing on the floor behind her. Snatching the gun out of her hands, he threw her over his shoulder. "Look Grandma, we got to get out of this building. How's about we bare arms later." He ran with the struggling woman down the stairs that were on fire at this point. Spider-man sensed the staircase giving way and leapt to another one lower down. Firing a web-line he secured it and lowered himself and the grandmother to the floor. 

As he let her go he cried out "Get lost Granny." He cried out. He was about to follow his own advice when the stair he was hanging off gave way and crashed down around him, followed shortly by the floor dropping him into the basement of the burning building. Rolling to his feet, Spider-Man spotted a manhole cover. He ripped it loose and crawled into the sewers that ran under the building. Running for a short time, he found a ladder the lead to the surface. Looking out the sewer grating, he saw the little boy and old lady as well as everyone else seemed to be fine and fire trucks were starting to appear to fight the fire. 

"Lets see, an armed psycho is trying to destroy a friend and wants to kill me. I had to run out on MJ again. Moreover, I managed to destroy not one, but two buildings, almost roasting the tenants of one of them alive. I'd say it's been a full day I can't wait to see what JJ has to say about this. 

***

The next morning's Bugle carried a picture of the burned building, With the headline _Arachnid Antics Leave Tenants Homeless_. 

***


	5. Part Five

***  
  
"…And your sure that he was telling the truth…excellent well you know what to do …do it and get back here." The Arranger hung up the telephone.  
  
"Well you were talking long enough." The kingpin was impatient.  
  
"Bullseye went to see the thug who survived the raid on the Osborne condo he says The Goblin broke in and interfered, but Spider-Man showed up none the less just as we planned."  
  
The Kingpin smiled. "Excellent and since the two have a history it should be no problem for us to convince Parker to see the light."  
  
"The man mentioned Parker was hanging around with the actress, Mary Jane Watson, perhaps leverage may be applied."  
  
"Precisely what I was thinking." The big man rose and headed for the door. "Have it done soon, that tenement Spider-Man and the Goblin firebombed was a legitimate concern of mine and when I get burned I want someone else to feel the heat."  
  
The telephone ringing interrupted his thoughts. Knocking the arrangers hand out of the way he picked up the handset.  
  
"Fisk."  
  
"Wilson, this is Norman I've heard you went ahead and called a company vote for tomorrow."  
  
"Norman you must understand, this uncertainty in the face of the recent attacks plays to the heart of the investors confidence in you. By call a vote wee show them that we are dealing with the matter even if you wont."  
  
"This is blackmail. It's not my fault this lunatic is attacking Oscorp holdings and property  
  
Tell it to the board tomorrow  
  
There was a pause on the line. Norman came back on then sounding calmer. "How about we work this out just tonight. I have business at an Oscorp Warehouse tonight we could talk then in private."  
  
"That would be fine Norman you know I always want to discuss things reasonably." He cut the connection and turned to Arranger. It is as we suspected he is running this Green Goblin and he is sending him after me again tonight. Well he will find things will be less easy then he would like to think.  
  
Arranger rose from the chair. "I got it covered the Spider will be there."  
  
***  
  
The lambasting in the press that Peter endured kept him out of the webs for the next day or so. Good thing too since his costume was in tatters, ripped in a dozen places and sporting burn marks and in general smelling as if he had crawled through a sewer. MJ was incommunicado avoiding his calls. Not that he blamed her really. Since she had met Spider-man she had been mugged, shot at, almost blown up, and worst of all, for her, ditched by a guy who should feel lucky to be breathing the same air as her. Despairing that MJ would come around he concentrated on the situation with Harry and Ben Urich was the one who helped confirm Peter's admittedly shaky conclusions about the relationship between The Goblin and Norman. The kinds of experiments that Osborne had been paying to do were illegal and therefore would have been secret research. Peter was sure there was a connection that they were overlooking. Since finding connections was a job suited to the police he and Ben paid a visit to Detective DeWolf. She was only other person who would listen seriously to Ben's theories shed light on Peter's concerns…assuming she was in a good mood.  
  
"I'm in a bad mood gentlemen so make this quick." Jean DeWolf tapped her fingers nervously sometimes glancing at the no smoking sign plated to the wall as though wishing it would spontaneously combust.  
  
"I think I know who the goblin is." Peter volunteered  
  
Ben cut him off. "What Peter means is that with the help of the police confirming certain suspicions might be helpful in cracking the goblin case."  
  
"I heard the photographer Urich, I don't even look stupid." DeWolf smiled and turned to Parker. "So slick what have you got for me."  
  
"I think the Goblin might be an ex-employee of Oscorp. Recently fired or on the records as being transferred."  
  
"Well setting aside the sheer vagueness of that statement might you have an idea as to why an ex-employee of Oscorp would be riding around on a one man flying wing and blowing up the city."  
  
Peter mentioned his discoveries. He left out the part Mary Jane played in it and that they had been hacking Osborne's computer.  
  
DeWolf nodded "the scenario makes sense but…"  
  
"Hell if there is doubt why not just ask this Octavius guy." Ben stated pounding on the desk.  
  
Dr Otto Octavius was injured in a lab accident. He is still in ICU in a coma so asking him will be difficult if not impossible."  
  
"When did this happen."  
  
"Two days ago, that giggling green lunatic was seen leaving the scene. No Spider-Man insight I might add." At this, DeWolf looked meaningfully at Parker who looked steadily back at her.  
  
"Well, what about the guys who hit the Hardy garden party."  
  
"All dead the ones not killed by the Goblin disappeared after they made bail."  
  
"Doesn't that seem suspicious to you detective?"  
  
"Of course, it's suspicious, the whole bloody thing is fishy." The detective reached into her desk and pulled out a thick file. Ben's eyes light up as he got his first look at the rumored Kingpin file that was another urban legend in newsrooms all over the city. "Two of the guys in that raid were ex-employees of Oscorp. One had been terminated for frequent absences but one old timer who has worked there most of his adult life doesn't remember ever seeing either of them. The truck that was involved with the attempted hijacking that Spider-Man broke up was reported stolen from Fisk Imports last week and who's driving the truck none other then another ex-employee of Oscorp. In fact, as near as I can tell quite a few of the workers for both Fisk Imports and Oscorp have lengthier then average criminal records."  
  
"That's silly Wilson Fisk is a respectable citizen and Norman …he's the victim here I'm sure of it some one is trying to get to him by going after Harry and maybe the other board members too."  
  
Ben was just about to speak when his cell-phone shrieked loudly. He sheepishly answered it. And then glanced at Peter "Yeah he's here." He handed the telephone to Peter. "Call from the office."  
  
"Hello"  
  
"Hi Peter, it Glory, I got a call from your girlfriend  
  
"MJ she called. That's great, what did she want.  
  
"To tell you that she will be late to your date to Zanzibar."  
  
In the background Peter could hear JJ screaming "He better not charge that lunch to the paper."  
  
"Thanks Glo, I guess he's still mad about me not bringing my camera to the Hardy party."  
  
"It will blow over. It will blow over faster if you bring in shots of the wall crawler stealing The Hope Diamond or kicking a cop or something."  
  
"Peter said his good-byes and hung up the phone. MJ 's meeting me for Lunch at Zanzibar she must be so mad, she's forgotten she never actually invited me in the first place.  
  
"Are we done here." DeWolf asked getting up from her desk. "Amusing as I find your life Parker it looks much better on Dawson's Creek then in my office when I am killing for a smoke."  
  
Outside Ben whistled for a cab and the two men climbed in "Corner of 45th and ninth" Peter asked they settled in for the ride down town.  
  
"So we learned that it is possible an ex-employee of Oscorp got hold of equipment that was being tested and created the identity of the Green Goblin to strike back at Osborne."  
  
"We also know that Fisk is involved in this.  
  
Are you sure Ben it seems strange."  
  
Sensing victory, Urich closed in for the kill. "Peter look, you heard the same facts I did and remember it was Fisk's truck that was involved in the shipping robbery"  
  
"That could have been a coincidence  
  
"You don't really think that, do you?"  
  
"Well there is some thing weird about that. Fisk was badmouthing Harry at the party to the other board members. They are later attacked by The Goblin. And Harry tells me that Felicia told him afterwards that it was Fisk's suggestion that she hold the party at Osborne's condominium. In fact, other then Osborne himself Fisk was the only member who knew that the site for the party had been changed but didn't attend."  
  
"Look Peter I know you have some weird need to believe thee best in people but you can't walk around with blinders on."  
  
The cabby stopped at the corner and peter jumped out. "Listen Ben can we talk about this later."  
  
The reporter nodded and the cab pulled away. Peter jogged toward the entrance to the Zanzibar and slipped inside. Reservation for Watson…please" he spoke to the pretty hostess who smiled and looked at a screen and then frowned no reservation for you Mr. Watson.  
  
"Oh I'm not Watson my name is Parker as in Peter Parker. I 'm meeting Mary Jane Watson here.  
  
The hostess smiled "oh yes she's already here."  
  
The two headed for a quiet section of the restaurant peter saw here sitting in the corner looking as pretty as the first day he had ever seen her in school. After sitting him and taking a drink order, she retreated and Peter turned to the actress. "First I want to apologize for running out on you the other day but…I needed to track down the fight…not that it did me any good."  
  
Mary Jane looked at him for a moment and sighed "Peter can I be honest with you." She ignored the wince and continued. "I went out to the coast to getaway from my father. He thought the only thing I could look forward to was being a trophy for someone like Flash Thompson or Harry. "When I saw you hook up with Harry I though like everyone else that you were friends with Harry cause his dad was rich but you showed us different. You genuinely liked him and he respected you.  
  
This sounded like a speech she had been practicing for a while. Maybe she had been putting up with him for longer then she had intended.  
  
" So when I realized you liked me too and that you thought a lot of me I thought. Maybe there's more to me then just Mary Jane the good time girl. You changed after your Uncle Ben died. You became more serious and …I don't know there was something about you that died after that night. Without it I thought you were going to turn into some colder darker version of yourself and I didn't want to see that happen."  
  
Peter wanted to interrupt her and tell that it hadn't gone that way at all. He remembered the days following he Uncle's death. The tears and the guilt, oh yes the profound guilt, and his vow to never allow another innocent to come to harm because of his life as Spider-Man. Fat load of good that had done. People had almost been killed during the fire and building collapse. Now he was getting a Dear John speech from the woman he had carried a torch for as long back as he cared to remember.  
  
"That's why when I came back and you seemed …just like when I left. And then I found out about the Spider-Man pictures…"  
  
Spider-man again, would he always lose girls to his costumed alter ego. The girls usually lusted after the highflying super hero and only the super hero or they were grossed out by the very idea of him even knowing the webbed wonder.  
  
"Peter I know you feel like I wanted to use you and Spider-Man and I swear that was never my original idea." She was still pouring out her heart.  
  
What was she talking about "using Him" for what? What could she need with a smalltime photo geek and a local hero? She was a star and a big one at that.  
  
"It's just that when the producers started talking about getting rid of me. I had to find a way, I didn't want to come back to New York a failure, I didn't want my father to have been right about me."  
  
"MJ what are you talking about, you're the best."  
  
"I appreciate that Tiger but I know the truth now, I wanted to take advantage of the thing you have going on with Spider-Man but I see now that that isn't what you are about at all. Oh I'm not good at this I will be able to explain better back at my hotel…."  
  
Peter's spider sense flared to life. He looked around and spotted the waitress standing near him about to lose control of a tray with hot soup on it. He reached up, slipped around her, and caught the tray and steadied it one smooth motion. Thus, he wasn't paying attention to the well dress man approaching from the other side.  
  
"Well isn't this a pretty picture" the new voice said as he slid smoothly into the booth beside MJ.  
  
"Excuse me sir but we are having a private discussion" Peter said mildly annoyed at the man's rudeness."  
  
"Yes you are, and yet you aren't doing anything about getting rid of me. Could it be my charm, my wit, the fact you need to grow a pair before you start dating real girls like this one…no wait I know." The ma snatched a fork off the table. A split second latest MJ jerked upwards. "Hold very still fashion girl the fork is sitting next to some vital territory on your body, you move or jerk an you'll be bleeding to death before you get out the door."  
  
Peter stood quickly and the man turned his baleful gaze in his direction. "Don't even think that I am not talking about you too."  
  
Peter sat slowly trying to find an opportunity to jump the guy who relaxed as soon as he was sure Peter would remain where he was.  
  
"Ok lovebirds, here is how it will be. I am going to get up with the lady here and we are going to head to the exit. You are in front and the lady and I are following. You will climb inside the big car out front and sit like a good little prisoner."  
  
The trio moved as one to the exit and hostess glanced quickly in their direction and then looked away. She seemed to realize that this was going to be something she should pretend that she had not seen.  
  
Out front Peter climbed in to the limousine and slid over to the far side next to a scary looking guy MJ and the man climbed in behind and sat on the opposite side of the limo.  
  
Peter could be so kind as to pick up the phone in front of you and tell the driver to go." Peter ground his teeth and did as he was told.  
  
What is this all about" MJ demanded "Who are you?"  
  
"This is a kidnapping; you both look smart enough to have read Robert Louis Stevenson so I doubt you need clarification beyond that. I am Bullseye assuming you live long enough you should check Interpol's web-site and do a search, the site has lots of content including a great picture of an Attaché I killed with a long stem rose."  
  
"If this is for ransom, the Studio won't pay you a dime."  
  
"I know, so tragic that you landed on the one soap that actually wants talented actors as opposed to fashion plates looking for face time."  
  
"Leave her alone." MJ startled for a moment when she heard the forceful tone in his voice.  
  
Bullseye turned to the scary guy "Tie him up and use the chains, plant the evidence on him."  
  
"What are you doing to him" Mary Jane demanded  
  
"Well as I am sure you danger twins have figured out by now Green Goblin is Osborne's step and fetch boy. "The fact that Peter's spandex suited wonder- boy has survived two exchanges with him makes him the perfect guy to send after The Goblin so he can finish him off for good."  
  
"Spider-man doesn't kill and he's no hired thug."  
  
"Oh No? I'm willing to bet that when the police pull your corpse out of the bay in an hour looking like The Green Goblin killed you; Spider-man will run to the one place where Goblin is guaranteed to be Oscorp. He and the green one will duke it out and when its over I will award the winner the prize of an trip to Valhalla."  
  
"Why kidnap her then?"  
  
"Parker, you always endanger the pretty girl, plays to the patriarchal need to be the crusading avenger riding to the rescue of the damsel in distress."  
  
"Let her go, I'll bring Spider-man to you I wont let on it's a trap."  
  
"Don't worry Peter, if Spider-Man makes it to my hotel he'll find everything he needs to rescue the both of us."  
  
Peter looked at MJ like she was nuts but Bullseye wasn't paying attention.  
  
"Fat chance kid I want Spider-man to come willing to play so I have to make it personal. After all he has cost my employer money and gotten in his way. That, plus The Goblin tried to kill him twice means the both of you are going down."  
  
"Who's' your boss" MJ asked fearfully realizing for the first time that they were in lot of trouble.  
  
"Haven't you figured it out yet Mary Jane." Peter fixed Bullseye with a grim stare "The only person who would be hurt by Spider-Man cleaning up urban street crime, who was either present for the Goblin's attacks or knew that Oscorp Board members would be there…Wilson Fisk."  
  
The limo pulled to a stop. The big thug finished tying Peter in chains and pushed him out of the limo Bullseye gave Mary Jane a wink and then scooted out of the back. "Hope your not going anywhere."  
  
"Should we do him before we dump him" the thug muttered as he pulled a gun from his jacket.  
  
"Just grab his feet and toss him over OK let me do the thinking." Bullseye sighed.  
  
The two men hustled Peter toward the railing of the bridge. He had moments to get out of this and then the solution presented itself. As the two men heaved, Peter concentrated on cling with his feet to the thug. The sudden weight swinging outward yanked the big man off his feet and caused him to topple over the side after Peter.  
  
He spun though the air flexing his arms broke the chains binding him he stretched out an arm and fired a web-line toward the bridge. There was a loud splash of the thug hitting the water below. Peter swung underneath the bridge quickly climbing the web-line he skittered up the bridge support and flipped over the railing to watch the limo cruising away. Spider-man could easily follow but Peter would be hard pressed to do so without drawing attention to himself.  
  
He stood fuming for a second; MJ was dead if he couldn't stop them before they got to Oscorp. Then he wondered what evidence had she been talking about. What would she have left at her hotel that Spider-man would get? Peter began to wonder. She had been trying to be honest with him during the meal. Opening her life to him and telling him her secret fears, hopes, how much she admired him…she knew. The chill spread down Peters back and spine. Mary Jane Watson knew he was Spider-Man and had been trying to tell him something in the car based on that knowledge. She must have known that he could do nothing in front of her since at that point he still believed he had a secret identity. She was trying to communicate something to him.  
  
She must have known that he would survive the death trap and come after them. How could he his costume was in tatters after the tenement rescue? Unless….  
  
Flagging down a cab Peter headed for Mary Jane's hotel. There was a brief episode when he arrived with the concierge deciding the poorly dressed man couldn't possibly know a star of Ms Watson's caliber. Peter ran down the block and ducked to an alleyway. He slipped out of his shoes and hung them around his neck. He ignored the drunken stare of the street bum as he began to climb the wall. The bum decided that he had consumed too much Thunderbird since people did not climb on walls. Peter reached the roof and ran across leaping to the cornice of the hotel roof he climbed to that rooftop and found an entrance to the stairwell. Snapping the lock he descended to the right floor and looked down the hallway. A hotel detective was marching down the hall peter waited for the ma to leave but he seemed to have found something interesting on the floor to keep his attention because he loitered for ten minutes.  
  
Peter headed for the roof and considered he had to get into that room. He glanced over the side of the roof and saw that far below some of the windows on the floor were open. "Bonus" he hissed in triumph and he skittered down the side of the building to the ledge where MJ's floor was. A dark voice whispered that he could be doing this for a living and that it would be a whole lot more rewarding then chasing flying lunatics and power mad crime lords. Then he heard an older more carefree voice." Peter you may not know it yet but you have been given great gift's which in turn gives you power. And with great power comes great responsibility"  
  
Peter slid in into the room and looked around. Champagne was chilling next to a plate of snacks, on the bed was a package with his name on it. He picked up the card attached. "To my real hero - who needs a better tailor." He read.  
  
He opened the box and inside was a. Lycra-spandex bodysuit in red and blue with Tabai boots and gloves. The ensemble was thin enough to be worn under his everyday clothes. Judging from the receipts, she had included. The costume had been ordered through a half dozen different places. None would ever connect their individual work to the finished product in his hands a new Spider-Man suit.  
  
Peter slipped into the suit and stood in front of the mirror. Pulling the mask on he looked at the finished product. He looked every inch the hero MJ thought he was. Every inch the hero he had vowed to become after Uncle Ben's death. "If you've been pulling strings with god Uncle Ben, thanks."  
  
His spider sense flared and the wall-crawler turned and sprinted for the window hurling himself out of it and free into the air. He let himself fall for just a second before he fired a web-line and swung low into the streets. Then it was up into the setting sun. It was time to finish this.  
  
"Bad guys, killers and Kingpins beware…Spider-man is back with new and improved ass kicking power."  
  
***  
  
Norman Osborne stood in the darkness wrestling his demon. His demon was winning. "This is the moment we have been waiting for."  
  
"This is wrong it's gone too far"  
  
"I agree; Fisk has been squeezing you, forcing you out, Using Harry's weakness against you."  
  
"We tried to kill Harry."  
  
"Those who would taste power must be prepared for the bitterness of the brew. If the only casualty of your raise to power is Harry then it will have been so easy."  
  
"But I…"  
  
"Enough talk, time to fly, we have company and Death is an impatient mistress." The Goblin smirked as troops deployed through the warehouse. So Fisk wanted to play games. He noted the presence of Mary Jane Watson in their ranks. Harry had mentioned liking her and she and Parker had been seen around town. "So I get to deal with the other big pain in my ass lately …bonus."  
  
***  
  
Spider-man crouched on a cornice over looking the warehouse. He had watched the security team head into the building. "Gatecrashers, well the more the merrier." He wondered how he was supposed to pull this off. Bullseye and his hit team would be trying to kill him the Goblin would be trying to kill him. "If Mary Jane weren't in that room would I even think of going in there?" He lied to himself knowing full well that Goblin was a menace, Kingpin was going to kill anyone who stood between himself and vengeance on Goblin and that included Harry and Mary Jane. For better or worse he had to take them both out tonight.  
  
***  
  
The troops fanned out across the floor of the warehouse. Mary Jane struggled against the teams nervous manhandling.  
  
"You apes want to back off."  
  
"You have to forgive them Ms Watson." Came a voice behind her. She turned to see Bullseye in a trench coat. He stepped into the dark structure and doffed the heavy coat revealing a body-hugging suit in black with numerous pouches. He pulled a mask into place. "When things don't go my way Bullseye throws a fit and when I throw things …people tend to die."  
  
"Oh Bullseye how scary, did you stay up all night thinking up that name." She was defaulting to her normally brassy persona in the hopes some means of escape would present itself.  
  
"Oh I admit it may lack the urban street thug appeal of Parker's Spider-Man but it is functional. He pulled a throwing star from one of the pouches and hurled it. The star passed over MJ's shoulder imbedding itself in the helmet of a solder standing behind her. The severed strap of her purse parted and fell to the ground. Bullseye paused and took a bow to applause that only he could hear while the soldier nervously pulled the razor sharp star from his helmet. She tried for a little bravado. "Big deal I've been to The Shrine Circus. They have guys that can do tricks like that."  
  
"You're right, I guess I'll have to do better then that. I wasn't aiming to cut the purse off your shoulder."  
  
The guard behind her handed her the earring that had been dragged from her ear without her even feeling the tug. MJ felt her insides size with fear. She realized Bullseye was holding back for the big contest the contest she had been sure Peter would win until a few seconds ago.  
  
***  
  
There was a moment where time slowed for everyone in that warehouse. Not just those who by dint of their abilities could move faster then anyone anyway, not his effect happened to everyone there. A singular moment where time telescoped outward and every heartbeat seemed to take seconds to go by. There was a rustle at the back of the building and Fisk stepped forward to address the shadows. As he saw the figure standing there.  
  
"Norman? Is that you? Come out. Come out and we'll talk."  
  
"Talk Fisk, is that what you want to do? Yes, we'll talk, like we did in the beginning."  
  
"Norman you knew what you were getting into. You wanted the power that having me involved with your business could give you that's why your let me launder the money from my criminal enterprises through Oscorp legitimate holdings."  
  
"I never intended to hand you my company."  
  
"You knew it would come to this one day if I can't get the reins of power one way it will happen another."  
  
"I won't let you squeeze me out or bleed me dry anymore Fisk."  
  
"Is this the bit where your hired goon makes some spectacular pyrotechnically enhanced entrance?"  
  
"Why Wilson I wouldn't think of upstaging your own hired killers."  
  
"Is this a private donnybrook or can any friendly neighborhood Spider-man cut in." The wall crawler landed next to Mary Jane and grabbed the men holding her tossing them skyward.  
  
"Excellent, everyone here. Let the final judgment begin." The figure stepped to the light as the Green Goblin touched a remote control. His glider rose from a spot near the back of the room. Two bombs launched which in turn blossomed into a cluster of flaming death. The strike team scrambled for safety. Spider-Man pushed MJ to the side, she was shocked until she realized The Goblin would orient on him first, then take out the rest. If he took her to safety The Goblin would relentlessly follow.  
  
She sprinted for a corner of the warehouse, forgotten in the frenzy of activity as the two faced off.  
  
"I've waited a long time for this moment." The goblin clenched his fists with barely suppressed emotion. "You have gotten in my way for the last time."  
  
"How's about we dispense with the cheesy super villain dialogue and cut right to your bitch slapping you useless pile."  
  
"Let's finish this."  
  
The glider was doing pre-programmed bombing runs. They were scattering the strike team and frying some where hey stood. Bullseye ran and dodged around the explosions and hopped onto several boxes where he could get a clear view of the fighters. He lived for moments like this.  
  
The Goblin threw the first punch that Spider-Man easily caught. He hurled The Goblin away. The green fiend rolled smoothly to his feet. He fired a laser blast from his gauntlets. Spider-Man leapt forward evading the blast and landing next to The Goblin. He was trying to take him out quickly but his blows where largely evaded by the wired reflexes of The Goblin who grabbed at Spider-Man and sent a massive electrical jolt through the wall crawler's body. He slumped to the ground. The Goblin beating on him.  
  
"The Itsy-Bitsy Spider made Goblin scream and shout" the maniac threw Spider-man up against a crate and kicked him hard in the stomach. "The Goblin got pissed off and took the Spider out." He grabbed Spider-man and threw him to the ground. "The Goblin got the last laugh as the spider bled and died" He paused to deliver a blow.  
  
Spider-man fired off web-lines on either side of him. The Goblin turned laughing. "You missed."  
  
"No I didn't" he pulled the two shipping crates off the pile they were on. the two met in midair right where The Goblin was standing. The goblin staggered. Spider-man back flipped off the ground and launched a kick at him, then began raining blows on The Goblin's chest and head driving him backward. He delivered a spinning kick that sent the Goblin sagging to the ground. Spider-man gathered up the fallen menace and was about to hit him again when The Goblin began laughing. "What's so funny?"  
  
"I'm picturing how you're going to have to explain to Parker how his girlfriend got fried while you were beating on me." The goblin activated the voice command circuits in his suit. "Acquire Target…" his helmet display lit up and he saw Mary Jane sheltered amidst some boxes. "Lock on and destroy"  
  
Spider-Man thought the villain had lost his mind until his spider sense told him the goblin glider was changing course in mid air.  
  
The glider swept higher. A chain-gun popped out of the undercarriage of the Glider and began pursuing MJ around the room firing bursts in her direction. MJ dashed around the boxes and crates trying to find cover from the glider that was now focused on her and her alone. Spider-man dropped the goblin and watched in horror. "You giggling dirt-bag." He leapt to the ceiling then swung down catching MJ and dragging her out of harms way. The glider was now pursuing the both of them in the confines of the building.  
  
***  
  
The Goblin rose from the floor and looked around he saw the remains of the kingpin's strike team ushering their boss toward the exit. "Where you going Round-Boy we have unfinished business."  
  
"Kill him." The trooper covering Fisk's escape from the building turned and opened fire on the goblin. He laughed, slipped a pumpkin bomb from his belt that he tossed at the trooper. who went to bat he bomb away it exploded on contact turning the man into a flaming pyre before his knees even buckled. The other stared in horror. Turning he saw a second pumpkin bomb coming toward him. He tried to shot at it, but this one split apart as it neared its target. Flying blades flew toward the man skewering him in a half a dozen places.  
  
The goblin smiled as he closed on Kingpin and launched a powerful kick meant to cripple him. He was more then shocked when the big man grabbed his leg and wrenched it hard. Kingpin's lips curled into a sneer upon hearing the grunt of pain from behind the Goblin's mask. "May I assume Norman neglected to inform you that my substantial weight is almost entirely muscle." He grabbed the man and hurled him first to the right, then the left, battering him against the crates and boxes around him. He then raised the goblin high and brought him down in a smash that voided the air from the smaller man's lungs. "Where are your quips and witticisms now, freak." The kingpin grabbed the man around his throat and began to squeeze cutting off his lungs and further depriving him of air. "Any last words."  
  
The goblin gasped something The Kingpin loosened his hold for a second before snapping his neck when the gurgle became a single word. "Clear" the goblin slammed his palm against the kingpin's chest and fired off another electrical charge. The bigger man was thrown backward sagging against the door to the outside.  
  
The goblin dragged himself to his feet and began limping toward the kingpin.  
  
***  
  
Spider-man dodged around the warehouse. He had tried virtually everything he could think of to avoid the glider's blasts. It was following too closely and he could get no real height if he dropped MJ the glider would cut her down in a second if he tried to escape with her the glider would be right behind. What he needed was for the glider to be diverted or stopped but he didn't see The Goblin being quite that accommodating. Then he saw the goblin standing over the fallen Wilson Fisk "MJ do you trust me"  
  
"What, Yeah sure I do. Why?"  
  
"I am going to toss you to The Goblin when you land, use him as a shield I'll take care of the rest and get out of the way as soon as its safe. You'll know what I mean."  
  
"Ok!"  
  
He swung them low "Hey Goblin catch" he launched MJ through the air to land on The Goblin sending both crashing to the ground. she immediately rolled him on top of her. The Goblin cursed realizing the glider wouldn't care what was in the way it would still strafe their position. He screamed out in a panicked voice. "Abort Target Lock, abort …abort."  
  
She smiled and rolled them over this time rolling free of the tangle of body Spider-man dropped feet first onto the goblins chest from fifteen feet up. He began to pound The Goblin. The Goblin grabbed the wall-crawler's fist and kicked out at him Spider-man fell backwards and flipped to his feet and fired a web-line snagging the goblins chest he dragged him forward "Get over here" and delivered a shattering uppercut. The goblin flew backwards and would have landed except that he was dragged forward yet again by another set of webs. "Come here" it was a kick, this time, which sent The Goblin high into the stacks landing near the sheltered Bullseye.  
  
MJ scramble forward for where she had hidden "that was amazing."  
  
"Yeah I guess Uncle Ben was wrong. That allowance I spent on Mortal Kombat wasn't a total waste." He hugged her briefly "Get out of here I called Harry He is sending he cops. They should be here soon if they aren't here already." He shoved her toward the door.  
  
He turned and leapt to the top row of boxes with an eye to finishing the fight then taking out Bullseye whom he guessed would be fresh and ready to dance.  
  
When the last kick deposited the goblin near Bullseye the assassin smiled. Well there was no reason he couldn't cheat a bit obviously The Spider had a bit of an edge with The Goblin being on the ground and not on his glider. Time to take advantage. He moved toward The Goblin, just getting off the ground where he had fallen. He saw Bullseye closing in and sneered touching the control on his suit. Bullseye turned and seeing the glider coming around. He pulled out a powerful pistol and shot at a control receiver he had noticed on the glider's undercarriage it shorted causing the glider to ram into the boxes and come to a rest. Bullseye smirked and turned back toward The Goblin to see him hurling a pumpkin bomb at him. The gun was already in his hands and Bullseye reacted without a thought, shooting the bomb and watching it sheer apart, the two halves landing on either side of them. "Oh shi…" they chorused as Spider-Man landed near them. The explosion took out the top of the crates and the rest of the centre pile of boxes.  
  
*** 


	6. Part Six

***

MJ waited until the dust was settling before venturing near. She stopped when she saw a gloved hand reaching out of the wreckage "Oh God Baby, are you all right? Please be all right. Please don't be dead." The hand clutched air painfully. She began trying to pull at it. The hand latched on to hers and squeezed hard then another hand reached out of the wreckage and The Goblin stood up "Thank you my sweet, I never knew you even cared." He pressed a palm switch and a fine mist spayed into Mary Jane's face she slumped to the ground. He gathered her up and headed toward where his glider had fallen. His suit told him that the main control relay was toast; he tried one of the backups and found it functioning. He could fly on it, but that was it. He leapt on board and baring his heavy burden rose erratically off the ground he looked down and saw Spider-man pulling himself from the wreckage. "I was unsatisfied by our last meeting insect. Meet me where that one began if you want this little lady to still be drawing a breath by sunrise." He raised his arm and fired a blast that blew a hole in the roof. The glider coasted through and took him high over the dragnet of police cars surrounding the bombed out warehouse. "Let Fisk talk his way out of this one." Goblin muttered. 

***

DeWolf burst though the door; gun in hand "Everyone freeze." Harry came in afterward "Dad are you here." 

"I thought you said they'd be here Osborne "

"Peter said that spider-man rescued him from the trap at the bridge, and that they were headed here. Well its obvious something happened here." 

"Yeah, World War Three by the looks of it. Does your father usually develop heavy weapons grade tech" 

"It how Oscorp made its fortune, Detective." 

A groan from a pile of debris drew DeWolf's attention she drew near to see Spider-Man leaning against a pillar. 

DeWolf was amazed at the look of him despite the mask he seemed like a man who had been through a hell she could only imagine. Yet, there he was leaning against a support pillar cool as you please. "Ok vigilante you're under arrest. Hands above your head and step toward me slowly." 

"Sorry DeWolf, not an option "

"Are you resisting arrest?"

"No I'm keeping you alive though for how much longer is anyone's guess." 

"What." 

Harry glanced upward and then seeing the problem grasped the detective. "Look, the underpinnings that keep the main pillar attached were blasted. If he lets that pillar loose, the roof caves in on top of anyone beneath it." 

"So that's your scam." 

Spider-man snapped at her "Hey gumshoe you want to use those eyes of yours for something and get a clue." He pointed quickly in the direction of two groaning men. "You were already on your way in here when I noticed this." Less then ten feet away from where they were standing were two men buried under debris. DeWolf looked at them then at Spider-man who pointed upwards DeWolf's eyes picked out something she had missed before amongst the rafters was a network of spider webbing. It was this keeping the roof up this long. When the main support pillar gave out the whole thing would go. The alert eyed detective also noticed the hole in the ceiling that had taken out the support. She looked back at Spider-man and asked him with raised eyebrow. 

"Goblin made it on his way out. I would have gone after him and Watson, but I saw these two and figured I should web up a support strut. Turns out the roof was more damaged then I thought. Then you guys started pouring in and the main pillar started giving way." 

DeWolf motioned to two cops standing behind her. "Ditko, Lee, grab those men, get out of here. Send some of the fire-guys in here to support this thing." 

"You still don't get it, this thing is coming down. The question isn't if, it's whose underneath it when it falls?" 

DeWolf nodded "Can you make it?"

"Thirty feet straight up, jagged hole three feet across, then across a collapsing roof, piece of cake. 

"You should turn yourself in."

"Not while the Green Goblin is free and MJ…Ms. Watson is in danger."

"And when that's done." 

"I figured we could date for awhile, then I could meet your parents. 

"Don't be flippant."

"Could we table the discussion of my future for a moment when I am not likely to be buried alive." 

DeWolf turned and headed for the door screaming for the rest of the team to get clear. She looked back and saw The Wall Crawler was watching them carefully. He would wait until everyone was out of the building before trying to leave. 

***  
Spider-man watched the last of the cops run out the door. He waited another few seconds just for them to get clear. Then he released his hold on the pillar. Immediately it began to tilt dangerously he fired a web-line and yanked on it as hard as he dared. It bounced him out the hole in the ceiling and onto the roof he landed with a heavy thud. A loud roar announced the rest of the roof was caving in. He closed his eyes and let his senses guide him across the roof. he ran across the roof his spider-sense tracking the fractures in the rooftop. He didn't need to see them to know where not to place his feet as he ran then leapt into the air. He thrust his arm out; a web-line snagged a pole nearby. He hurled himself away from the building and into the sky. He began slinging his way across town toward the one place that the goblin would be waiting. He supposed he should have told DeWolf where this was all going down, but he wanted this to be over between him and The Goblin. "Too bad JJ won't get pictures of this contest it will be worth it" he muttered to himself then he thought "Hell, why not?" 

***

MJ wasn't sure at what point in the high flight she passed out, but she was awake now and she looked to see a man crying in the corner. He was curled in a ball and shaking back and forth. She moved toward him as she looked around for The Green Goblin. She knelt beside the man and took his shoulder he started at her touch and then focused on her she looked and saw that it was Norman Osborne himself. "Mr. Osborne what are you doing here." 

"He lets me go sometimes" the man stared relentlessly into space as though searching for something 

"Well we have to get out of here the goblin will be back any moment and I don't want to be here when he and Spider-Man throw down."

"Yes child he hates Spider-man. With a passion"

"How could you let that lunatic loose "

"I had no choice. I've tried to control him but I gets harder everyday." 

"So you where using him. Peter and I thought he was blackmailing you …trying to control you." 

"Oh but is trying to control me, don't you see that's why he wants to destroy everyone so that I won't have anything left but him." 

"Help us defeat him I could get a message to Spider-man we could work together and finish this for good "

The man began weeping again. Great sobs that wracked his body with such force they made it sound as if he was giggling. Then, as she listened, she realized; he was giggling. He rose from the debris of the condominium and she saw for the first time the uniform that had been obscured. She backed away. 

"You know something it was worth it just to see that look on your face." 

"You were the Goblin the whole time."

"Well, Nancy Drew finally decided to finally get a clue.".

"You were responsible for everything."

"I blame society, and a lab accident with a performance enhancement drug Oscorp was developing." 

"Why get Harry?" 

"Norman wasn't going to do it and he was too strong to let me take care of the little cretin. So I arranged for Fisk to find out about little Harry's late night Poker games. 

"You set Harry up to be killed at the party.

"You're not thinking grandly enough sweeties. I wanted everyone, Harry, The Board, and Fisk

"That was why you let the hijack take place. You needed Fisk to get his hands on the stolen parts."

"I planned for the police to find the shipping transcripts and link the stolen parts to Harry. I told Fisk that I would pay him off in with the high-tech equipment but Spider-man screwed that plan up when Harry's little guardian angel stopped the hijack. Fisk suspected I was trying to double cross him. That was why he switched the sight of Hardy's little party of traitors to my Condo. He sent his boys to break into my computer here during the party, but I found out about it and took them out. I would have gotten the board members too but that interfering Spider-man got in the way." 

"Kingpin believed you were trying to get to him. He set up the warehouse as a trap." 

"Yes, you know he actually thought I didn't know that he would be trying to kill me. Again, Spider-Man got in the way. Always the Spider " Goblin smashed a wall. 

"Nice to have your work appreciated." MJ turned and there he was standing in the moonlight, weight balanced forward, her heart sized in her chest. "And you'd have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those nosy kids and their pesky Spider-Man. Now comes the part when we rip that cheesy mask off and find out you're really the old the Amusement Park Guy or other pathetic, low rent, no talent punk, who glommed onto some hi-tech equipment. 

MJ turned and saw not the mad man she had been addressing, but the Goblin, his mask in place. 

"Spider-man, you've got to stop The Goblin, he's really…" The Goblin's blow silenced her as it sent here careening into a wall where she sank into a swoon.

"Oh look at that, did the Goblin break Spider's little toy." 

"You animal." 

"Well if you're finished being a smart-ass, we can get back to that bitch slapping you were discussing earlier this evening." 

They fought hard against each other neither giving an inch nor surrendering one. Very quickly Spider-Man realized that holding up a building had not been the best way to prepare for this battle The Goblin was fresher and less beaten and it was showing. The Goblin hurled him into a wall and then pelted him with shots to the chest and head. He kicked out at Goblin, who grabbed at the offending limb and swung Spider-Man into a wall. he crashed through it to land in a bathroom. The Goblin marched into the room and grabbed The Spider from the ground choking him as he dragged him over to a toilet. 

"The old ways are still the best ways to deal with pests." He began ramming web spinner's head into the bowl. "I just want you to know that when I am done with you I'll do Parker slowly. Maybe after that I do the girl for fun. 

__

His dazed mind took him far from this moment to another one in Central Park a lifetime ago. A boy standing at the lake edge next to the closest thing he had to a father. The man was sitting back watching him struggle with a fishing pole way too big for him as he tried to land the fish on the other end. He was struggling and seemed about to surrender. The old man touched his shoulder. "You can't give in Boy. If it's really what you want you can't give in."

"But it's so hard" 

"If it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing. Just keep trying no matter what it takes. If you get beaten by superior ability that's one thing, but if you give up then you'll never know if you're ever good enough." 

His mind cleared and he reached past the bowl and ripped one of the pipes out of the wall directing the stream of water over his shoulder. The Goblin was distracted for a second and Spider-man took advantage of that second. He head butted The Goblin backward and then raising from the floor began to fight back. The Goblin tried to fend off his blows and got as far as catching his fists spider-man flipped himself in to air sticking to the ceiling he dragged The Goblin in the air and pounded his head against the roof. The Goblin fell to the ground dazed. The Spider landed on top of him and sent him flying back into the dilapidated living room with the vicious kick. 

Fun you consider hurting another human being fun." He kicked and punched at the goblin propelling him about the room ultimately forcing him against the hole in the room that looked out in to the night and the pavement several stories below. "You're an animal, a monster, the hell I'm sending you to is a better one then you deserve." He punched the goblin hard this time knocking the mask loose Peter looked into the dazed eyes of the man he knew as Harry's father. The fury in his heart was so great; he shoved aside the sentiment that had guided him this far. He pulled back his fist ready to strike the man again. There was a soft coo behind him and a hand touched his shoulder. He spun ready to unleash his full power and saw MJ standing looking at him. Her mouth was moving and he realized the reason he couldn't her was the blood racing and roaring in his ears. 

"Do you really want to do that?" She stood her ground and looked at him and he slowly dropped his fists and let Norman sag weakly to the ground. 

"I thought you were gone. I…I thought he had taken you from me before I ever got a chance to tell you how much…" she shushed him at that point. Then the mightiest man Mary Jane Watson had ever known sank to his knees, weeping. Why he could not have told you but he wept none the less, and MJ held him. The way she had it figured, he had carried the burden on his own long enough. It was time for rest. 

They might have stood like that forever but for the sound of the elevator opening. Spider-man stood and caught sight of Harry he turned to Mary Jane. "Norman was a victim of The Goblin, that's close to the truth Harry doesn't need to know the rest." 

She nodded and headed to the elevator Spiderman gathered the fallen broken man in his arms and leapt into the night as Harry charged into the room DeWolf at his heels. "Where's Spider man going, where's my father? MJ what happened to the Goblin?" 

"Harry your father was hurt by the goblin, Spider-Man is taking him to the hospital." 

"Are you prepared to make a statement Ms. Watson" DeWolf looked at her, analyzing her she looked back at DeWolf with a steady gaze honed in a hundred Hollywood auditions 

"I'm prepared to help you in any way I can Detective but I was out cold for a lot of it."

"Well whatever you can do to fill in the blanks."

***

It was a great day and Spider-man was out for a brisk swing.. Things had been quiet sine the end of the goblin affair and he was starting to miss the action. The press on the Kingpin had been quiet since he had no real evidence of Fisk's involvement. He and MJ had agreed to keep the truth to themselves. That decision having more to do with the fact that Kingpins attorneys were busy suing anyone who so much as looked at Fisk with malice in their eye. The press on Osborne had been positive since no one but Peter and MJ knew that Norman had been the Goblin. Peter had stripped off his costume and thrown it in the river before the police had a chance to get them. 

He was responding to a message that had been left at The Bugle for Peter to pass on to the web-slinger. JJ was drooling over the shots of The Goblin and Spider-man fighting. So there had been not a word of discussion when Peter had quietly asked for an advance. 

He swung toward the municipal building and caught the wall outside DeWolf' office. He slung himself through the window and perched on the sill. The detective smiled as she leaned back in her chair abandoning the early morning reports that were littering her desk. Morning, Spider' out for an early morning constitutional I see." 

"Parker reports that you left a message at The Bugle." 

"That Parker, so industrious I only left it last night and he managed to get in touch with you since then. I wanted to congratulate you."

"What did I do?"

"You changed my opinion of you, not an easy thing to do. I thought you really were a menace. Not like that blow hard Jameson says I mean that you were some glory hog out for cowboy justice, not concerned with the consequences of your actions but you have convinced me other wise. "

"Thank you"

"It's really noble that you want to do good so I hope that you won't take this the wrong way but I still think you should give up the vigilante thing."

"Why, I thought you had all manner of respect for me now."

"I do, the reason I wanted you out of the way before was because you might get in the way of the professionals like me, causing more harm then good. Now I know you're sincere I have a new reason to not want to see you get hurt."

"Huh?"

"I have watched this job take good hard working men and women and turn them in to beasts worse then the criminals we bring in. I got a report on my desk this morning. A downtown social club that is a known Mafia front was shot to hell the perpetrator was dressed in a suit with a skull on it. I just know that his guy's going to turn out to be some person I would admire if I knew him in real life. Nevertheless, I have to bring his ass in. please don't let that happen to you."

Peter smiled under his mask as he thought about the many times he had heard what a hard ass DeWolf was now he had to wonder. 

"BTW" she continued "I would advise watching your back. You made some big enemies with this Kingpin thing and that may come back to haunt you large one day."

"Don't tell me he's going to get away with everything."

'Well Parker was being pulled out of the river by you. So the only witness with reliable testimony is Ms Watson. Fisk's lawyers are already suggesting that she was confused and possibly under the sway of The Goblin so there is no way her testimony can be relied upon.

"But I was there, I saw him there, Bullseye tried to kill the both of us, tried to kill Parker."

"Bullseye is missing in action. You are a masked vigilante who up until a few days ago was being sought concerning The Goblin attacks anyway. Even if you came forward, you would have to take off the mask I am thinking that you aren't wearing it just to cover up your unsightly acne.

"I get the picture."

"Like I said Spider-man. You win some with this job and lose a lot you just hope that you win the important ones and you did."

"How do you figure."

"Parker and Watson are safe and a bunch of low ranking street soldiers are off the street and in jail The Kingpin will know how close we came to him and he will have to be on his guard. In fact I hear he is leaving for Las Vegas day after tomorrow." 

"He's leaving town "

"Fisk is not officially suspected in anything and unless your willing to give that unmasked statement I alluded to earlier…" she let the statement hang in the air." 

"I can't believe that he gets away with this." 

"I wouldn't say that it seems that a copy of the file ended up on a desk with the SEC. We can't touch him for any crimes but corporate feels sure they can get him for crimes related to the attempted coup at Oscorp."

"Well I am out of here you might want to give me the key to the city or something and I have no where to put it." 

"Yeah I like the new duds make you look…more Heroic. Speaking of which I, hope that Parker's friend Osborne knows how good a friend he has." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Ravencroft called and message was passed to me. Norman is doing well and responding to treatment. Whatever The Goblin did is wearing off. However, the scars are there they are healing." 

"So you know." 

"You did a good thing. I don't think that Harry could have coped knowing the man trying to kill him and frame him was his own father." 

"Well I'm off, I do have a reputation as Public Enemy #1 to keep up." With that, the slinger shot a web-line out and snagged the No Smoking Sign on the wall. he pulled it off 

DeWolf laughed and reached into the desk for her pack of smokes. "You'd better get lost. Destruction of civic property carries a rather severe fine and possible jail time."

"Well then I had better flee from your custody and resist your attempts to arrest me…" Spiderman paused at the before diving out the window. "You knew DeWolf a few days ago I think Parker gave you the idea that you were turning a blind eye to the crime in this city. I think he would want you to know that he's grown up a little since then. "

"I think we all have Wall Crawler I think we all have." 

***

The Kingpin was in the middle of pacing his office. The Arranger was on the telephone making plans for their departure. Neither of them noticed the figure that sprang onto the balcony railing until Spider-Man cleared his throat. 

"You" The Kingpin snarled 

"So what's with the down face, Denny's won't truck over that Grand Slam meal."

"I'll deal with you." 

"Really, the way that I hear it, you're skipping, before the Feds take too much interest in all the super wacky going on." 

"Mr. Fisk is taking so much needed time off after the traumatic attack he suffered at the hands of you and the Green Goblin 

"Yeah, I can see where having the man you were blackmailing trying to kill you would ruin your day and all."

"That's a slanderous statement sir and if you continue to utter those kinds of baseless accusations I'll…" The Arranger was in full spin control mode but Spider-man wasn't in the mood. 

"Relax, Fisk I know the police can't touch you without more evidence." 

"You'll find that I am not so easily dealt with insect, I'll be back. I have a long memory when it comes to my enemies." 

"I hope that memory extends to your former underlings. The rumor has it; various crime families are already carving up your territory like Christmas turkey. I guess they're less then intimidated by a guy who had to be saved from a giggling lunatic on a flying wing by the spandex suited show boater who was putting him out of business." 

"Arranger order me an new desk." the Kingpin growled then screaming he pounded his fist through the heavy oak of the one in front of him breaking it into two pieces. 

"I can see your remodeling so I'll take off but, if you're ever in the mood to tango again Big Boy you know were to find me. He stood up perfectly balanced on the railing over looking the deep chasm of the urban sprawl behind him. "Riding your fat ass every second until I see it in prison." He back flipped of the railing and fired a web-line that took him swinging out over the streets and high into the air. He was two blocks away before he couldn't hear The Kingpin's cursing.

***

"So he really broke the desk in two." 

"Right down the centre…it was the coolest."

Mary Jane leapt on to the couch in front of the big screen TV. "You are bad. I know how much those desks cost."

"Tell me you don't think that he deserves it" 

"Peter Parker no one deserve the torment of putting up with your bad puns and needling. I just think it's funny." 

"So Ms. Watson you were supposed to tell me how the call to the coast went. I left you alone this morning to talk to your agent I hoped there might be good news."

"Well he talked to the producers of Secret Hospital and they have already written me off the show…"

"I'm sorry MJ."

"But they are willing to change the script and bring me back. They even offered a big raise in pay.

"That's great." 

"Isn't it though…I told my guy that I would have to think about it."

"Think about it, what's to think about?" 

"For one thing do I really want to be all the way out on the West Coast anymore?" Peter stopped and stared at her. She smiled at him and held his hand squeezing it. "I had some offers from some modeling agencies here in New York including a guy who says he owes his life to a certain web spinning super hero who saved him from some ruffians."

"I'm sure he was exaggerating." 

"Maybe he was, but one of the top models at the agency was not. Apparently her kid sister was saved from a brutal gang rape by Spider-Man" 

Peter sat on the couch and looked at her. "Are you trying to tell me something Red."

"Mr. Parker, your little super hero has come to mean one hell of a lot to many people 

"And you what do you think of spider-man." 

"I don't think about Spider-Man I think about Peter Parker and the thought I have is when is going to realize how much he means to me?"

"I think he's starting to get a clue."

"Good." She elbowed him "A girl likes to think that the men in her life are smart enough to realize how lucky they are."

They kissed then because Peter was just smart enough to realize how lucky he was. The ringing of the telephone dragged them back to reality. 

"Hello…No Tell Motel." Peter blushed and turned on the TV so she wouldn't see the multi-megawatt smile on his face. The news was on. Realizing he was hungry Peter leapt off the couch and headed for the kitchenette. MJ got off the telephone and faced the screen. "Harry and Felicia are on the way so we can watch the movie together." 

"How is the acting CEO of Oscorp." Peter asked from the depths of the fridge. 

"Enjoying his first official act in office. He gave himself time off. And seeing as he and Felicia have been seeing so much of each other it seems the rest of the board is laying off for now."

"Nothing like one of your board members turning out to be involved in an attempted take over of the company and setting you up to be killed so he could accomplish it to create some esprit-de-corps" 

MJ wasn't listening. She was taking in the events unfolding on the news in front of her. 

"Peter who was that guy that was injured in the Oscorp lab explosion?"

"Dr Octavius, he's in a coma why." 

"Cause I think he got better." 

"You think so?" 

"Yeah, he's on the TV right now."

"What's he saying?" 

"That he's going to blow up Ravencroft Institute if they don't hand him Norman's head on a stick."

Peter ran back into the room and looked at the screen. There was the scientist ranting and raving. what was really scary was that he seemed attached to a set of metal tentacles that moved as though alive. 

"I didn't really get a good look at him the first time I saw him." MJ asked fascinated "Do the metal octopus arms come standard or was this a recent addition." 

"They are differently new." They watched as a police officer had his gun taken from him by one of the arms while two more grabbed and squeezed the officer. The fourth battered the man like a Billy club until he was unconscious or Peter hoped that he was unconscious. 

He unbuttoned and pulled open his shirt it revealing his costume beneath it. "MJ could you…"

"…Tell Harry and Felicia that you left to go downtown and take pictures."

"Having my girlfriend knowing my secret identity is looking like the best thing to happen to me for a long time."

"Hold on a second there, Mr. Parker we are living in sin. We will see what happens after the checks from my modeling gigs come in. When we have a place in the city then maybe we can discuss Boyfriend and girlfriend arrangements." 

"Yes ma'am" 

"And aren't we forgetting something." She held up his camera 

"Oh yeah, Thanks MJ" he reached for the camera but the young girl pulled it back at the last second forcing him to put his arms around her to get it back he gave her the hug

"Come back to me ok, I 'm starting to get very fond of you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled at her and she kissed on the cheek before pulling his mask into place."

Peter dived out the window with a rebel yell and slept across the rooftops before slinging his way down the street. 

Some say that New York is a cold city. If you had to ask a certain Peter Parker, he would say that New York was greatest place to be young, in love, and possessing the proportionate powers and strength of a spider. Of course, that was the opinion of a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man 

THE END


End file.
